Conflicting Characters
by CharlotteChocobo
Summary: Cloud is a manic depressive and Sephiroth addicted to sexual pleasure. The two meet through their counselor, starting a complicated and destructive relationship that can only end badly... or will it? Yaoi, contains sexual scenes and language. Crisis Core.
1. Prologue

**Conflicting Characters**

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_Cloud is a manic depressive and Sephiroth a sexually addicted heart breaker... the worst possible pairing._

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Prologue

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Cloud perched at the window sill, cigarette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. The harsh breeze that rolled in rested on his skin and gave somewhat relief to the feeling of regret that sat in his stomach. It was something that he knew all too well would grow in a couple of hours and leave him feeling utterly miserable.

At that moment in time, he still had a slight feeling of satisfaction, which would soon enough leave him, as it always did.

The sound of the door silently closing came from behind him. It had been done delicately as not to disturb Cloud from his thoughts, either out of genuine decency or simply not wanting it to grab his attention. It was such a simple gesture, but still managed to claw at his thoughts and send the blonde a thousand questions.

Was he already desperate for him to leave... tired of his company now he had gotten what he wanted?

Cloud had promised himself he wouldn't allow this to happen again. It was a recipe for disaster and would eat away at him for weeks to come. All of the sadness and misery that he'd felt following the last meeting and the hours of discussions he'd had to have with his ever worrying counselor had all been for nothing.

It was the worse possible mixture... a manic depressive associating with an uncontrollable sex addict.

Sephiroth wasn't by any means heartless or cruel, but he wasn't interested in romance or feelings. The man was an animalistic, sexually obsessed and emotionally lacking individual. Life was all about domination, control and satisfying whatever desires he had. Sephiroth was an attractive man, painfully so, which meant he had no limit when it came to sexual partners and their availability. It meant he could continue the lifestyle he wanted to lead with no regret.

… But Cloud wasn't like that.

The last two years of his life had been spent sat besides a man asking him questions and feeding him drugs to ease the sadness. He was an emotional wreck, although appeared completely void of human feeling to those that didn't know him. Cloud found it difficult to enjoy the simple things in life and had only agreed to see the counselor in order to keep his position within Shinra.

If it wasn't for cigarettes and numbing himself with alcohol, Cloud feared he would go mad.

Despite all of his obvious issues though, and clear warning signs outlined by his counselor, Cloud had allowed himself to pursue Sephiroth in search of excitement and personal meaning. All of the logical risks that he had feared would eventually come had done... and now it was something he had no control over whatsoever.

That night they had fucked one another furiously, temporarily making Cloud forget all of his worries and simply allow himself to enjoy having the man he desired most. Sephiroth had paid him all of his attention, kissing him as if he were the most precious thing in the world and staring down at him with lust filled eyes. Of course, there had been the hair pulling, the biting and the growling from Sephiroth's side. The man was the ultimate masochist... sexually sadistic.

But once that was all over, and the two of them lay breathlessly on the bed... it would all change.

Cloud snapped out of his thoughts as Sephiroth re entered the bedroom and sat himself on the bed. The blonde was usually told he had to leave, politely, or simply hinted at until the message sunk in. It wouldn't hurt so much if Cloud didn't fear someone else would likely be visiting once he left. Sephiroth was the only person he had slept with in months... He emotionally belonged to him. But that certainly didn't apply the other way round; the man had many, many options.

Although Sephiroth did not ask him to leave, or even acknowledge him for that fact, Cloud felt the atmosphere in the room change and immediately felt like a nuisance. There was no need for him here now, he knew that more than ever after all of the experiences he'd had.

"I'm leaving," he announced, putting out his cigarette and climbing from the window sill.

Sephiroth forced himself up, approaching the blonde and awkwardly wrapping his arms around him. "I'll text you," he said, as always, something that was clearly just automatic to him.

The blonde smiled sadly at him, pulling away from the hug and sheepishly leaving the room. It was something he had done so many times and felt just as miserable each time. Sephiroth would text him? How many times had he heard and waited months upon months to hear from him?

Cloud wanted more than that... he wanted to be wanted by Sephiroth... more than lust.

But he would take anything he would get, desperate to be in the man's company, even if it shattered him emotionally and left him with no gain absolute. At this rate, it seemed, the ordeal was going to kill him.

Why had he ever allowed this to happen?

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**Just the prologue, a little taster of the story... if you seem to like it, let me know and I'll continue!**


	2. Intimidation

**Conflicting Characters**

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I am continuing this story after an unnecessarily long time away from it. Thank you for all of the support! I will be updating this regularly in the future, if people are still keen to read it. SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, here is the first chapter! Where Cloud and Sephiroth meet properly for the first time!

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Chapter 1 - Intimidation

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An indescribable pain filled the blonde as his eyes peeled open, greeting the piercing light that he had been void of for what seemed like a lifetime. There had been a never ending darkness, something which engulfed him unmercifully for hours until eventually it slipped away once more. It took Cloud merely a couple of seconds to furrow his brows in confusion, and slowly begin to comprehend what had happened to him to place him in this situation. Unfortunately, it took less time than preferred to remember the embarrassment of what had happened to him only hours previous.

There had been a mission in which he was involved, scarcely of course, but he had still been required to participate. The men had trudged agonizingly up numerous hills, their destination blocked by a sea of never ending obstacles and distance. Cloud had been lagging behind, unable to match their speed and agility, watching reluctantly as the men merged into a blur of colour. Their features were no longer present; eventually, the blonde could see nothing bar a grey fog before him.

At that current moment in time, Cloud was on various tablets, unable to simply function as a human being. The tablets made him incredibly weary, anxious and nauseous, which was not helped by the volume of alcohol he drank and cigarettes he smoked. It had not been a realistic mission for him to begin with, but the fear of losing his position tore at him and made it impossible to refuse. Although, his impending doom in the company seemed unavoidable regardless, especially as a result of his recent 'condition.'

It had been only three months since the blonde had been diagnosed with depression, something which threatened his future within the company and his future in general. It consumed him mercilessly, making it impossible to train and socialise as a normal teenager would. Fortunately, the company took depression somewhat seriously, and had diagnosed Cloud to a therapist. It was an attempt to eliminate bad reputation, rather than display genuine care for the blonde.

Cloud spent the majority of his days glaring emptily out of the window, whilst he numbed himself on cheap wine in the confinement of his bedroom. He lacked genuine excitement in his life - actual meaning that made him motivated to get out of bed each morning. There was nothing that brought him happiness, and to have an opportunity to gain such a thing would perhaps give his life a meaning he had somehow lost. Although, at the time, Cloud could not have predicted the negative impact finding something he longed for would have on him.

Whilst struggling up the hill, Cloud had eventually passed out, although not entirely. The blonde had been somewhat conscious, hence the darkness he had faced for hours upon hours, relieved to open his eyes and be greeted by the light. There was nothing more embarrassing for him than failure, and Cloud felt the self loathing surface once more. It seemed impossible for something to appear and make him feel greater embarrassment than he already felt. Unbeknown to the blonde, there was something, or someone, that had that power to prove him wrong. It was an unwanted encounter which would shape his future in the harshest possible way.

Cloud flinched violently as he heard what appeared to be a toilet flush, his eyes darting nervously across the room, taking in his surroundings. It was not a familiar room, and in addition, it did not appear to be a vacant room either.

The blondes blue orbs rested on the bathroom door, his heart hammering violently against his chest as he urged for it to remain closed. It was only a matter of time before someone would surface however, and as the handle turned, Cloud could not imagine who would be behind there to greet him. If given the opportunity to guess for a lifetime, he would never have been able to guess the identity of the man who appeared casually before him, wrapped it nothing but a towel.

Cloud could feel his entire body shudder; although, he was unsure for the reason behind this.

"Close your eyes, Cloud Strife."

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The appearance of the figure before him momentarily stopped time. There was no evident way in which to react, the blondes eyes boring into the half naked figure without hesitation. Cloud heard a sentence be uttered to him, but he could not follow the request which was uttered to him.

"General Sephiroth…" he whispered, continuing to stare helplessly across at the man.

It was the rudest possible reaction to their first close encounter; the blonde practically gazing at him as if he were fresh meat. Cloud could do nothing but marvel at his sculpted stomach and breath in the smell of what he assumed to be shower gel. Although he had been his beauty from afar and appreciated it as expected, he had never had the opportunity to simply… stare.

Sephiroth stood before him in nothing but a towel, his long silver hair playfully resting on his skin. It had been a considerable amount of time since the blonde had genuinely felt attraction. The tablets had practically tore the soul out of him, making it difficult to feel any emotion bar disappointment and hurt. However, as he gazed rudely across at the man, Cloud felt his body spring to life in a way which he had not felt in months. It was as if he had been in a coma and suddenly awoken; the strength of his emotions almost breaking him entirely.

The General smirked in amusement at him as the blonde continued to stare. "Are you not able to follow a simple order?" he asked teasingly, snickering as the blonde quickly diverted his gaze.

Cloud cursed silently at himself as he tore his attention away from the sight, his cheeks melting away at his skin as a result of embarrassment and shame. It had been ridiculously apparent of the blondes reason to react in such a transparent way. Sephiroth would have recognised the blondes obvious attraction, which was extremely dangerous and foolish. Although Cloud did not make his sexual preference a secret, it certainly was not something he wanted to reveal to an individual as important as the one before him.

There were however rumours about the generals, orientation… and his sexual habits.

Cloud was ordered to open his eyes, which he obeyed without hesitation. He was greeted to a clothed Sephiroth, which significantly reduced the intimacy of the moment. There was a certain tension in the air however, following the blondes previous perverted behaviour.

"What happened?" he asked sheepishly, unable to keep his gaze on the general.

Sephiroth perched on the bed beside him, leaning forward as to come into close contact with the blonde. "Unfortunately you collapsed," he informed him, edging closer and close with each word he uttered, although subtle enough to appear innocent. "We carried you the remainder of the distance, and I requested to have you in my room for the night in order to be kept in peace."

The General quickly added a flirtatious comment, "... Although, I cannot promise anything."

Cloud groaned in utter embarrassment, humiliated at the fact he had left himself down. The self pity did not last long however, as Cloud repeat the sentence to himself and came to a realisation.

_… This was Sephiroth's personal room._

The room was located in the town in which their mission was placed, but regardless, it was the generals personal room.

"Would you like a drink?" Sephiroth asked, raising himself off of the bed and heading towards a cabinet placed in the corner of the room. As he opened it, Cloud stifled a groan as he witnessed an unimagineable amount of alcohol presented to him. It was not realistic however, and the blonde feared he would shame himself if he were to drink any of it.

"I don't drink," he lied, shuffling awkwardly inside of the covers.

Sephiroth snickered at that, ignoring his answers and choosing to pull out a bottle of red wine… the blonde's favourite. "There is no need for you to be dishonest with me," he said, turning back towards the blonde and placing the bottle beside him. "I know more about you than you realise, Cloud Strife."

The blonde immediately panicked, unnerved by the man's final comment. What information could he possibly hold about him? There was a certain level of detail he was required to know of course, but to delve as deeply as Cloud's drinking habits? It unsettled him greatly.

Sephiroth opened the bottle for him and poured a glass, smiling down at him as he thrusted it before Cloud's face. "If you wish to smoke, do so," Sephiroth told him.

The blonde could not understand the reason for the unusual show of kindness.

Sephiroth poured himself a glass, creating eye-contact with the blonde. "I assume you are concerned about all of this?" he asked, taking a sip from the glass. "The reason that I am offering all of this to you, despite it being frowned upon?"

Cloud could do nothing but nod dumbly.

"I ensured the others that I would look after you," he explained.

Sephiroth's eyes glowed mischievously, which the blonde was far too naive to notice. There was a momentary silence as the General carefully chose his words, and continued to watch the blonde's each and every move. "Although, I'm not entirely sure you're completely distracted from what happened."

Cloud quickly shook his head. "No, I very much appreciate all of this, sir!"

"That's not what I meant," the General interrupted, taking the blonde by surprise. "There is something else on your mind, which I can sense. Something which has been on your mind since you first noticed me in the bathroom doorway."

The blonde stuttered in his response. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean, sir!"

Sephiroth's eyes glowed mischievously as he inched towards the stunned individual, eventually positioning himself close enough to be considered intrusive. "I think you know exactly what I am referring to," he growled, boring his eyes into the blonde, reeling in his evident uncomfortable position.

Cloud merely remained dumbfounded, unable to simply deliver a sentence without releasing a faint whisper. Although the General frightened him, as he did all members of the company, the blonde still felt overwhelmed by how unbearably intimidating he was. There were excruciating butterflies sat in his stomach and a sickness that could not be blamed on the tablets. It was a feeling of complete nervousness, which made him practically ill as a result.

The silence infuriated Sephiroth. "Stand up," he ordered, placing his drink delicately on the side as he did so.

The blonde felt his heat race in fear as a result of the venomous tone in which the man had addressed him. Cloud was unsure as to why he was being told to stand and could only assume it was a bad thing due to Sephiroth's forceful expression. However, despite his fears he was reluctant to disobey him and painfully began to inch his legs out of the covers. There was an immediate jolt of discomfort as he rested his feet onto the carpet and pulled himself upwards. Sephiroth recognised his struggle, but merely stood and watched as the blonde shakily held himself together.

"Have I said something?" Cloud trembled, as he gazed into the man's beautiful glowing orbs, which although spellbinding, held a certain darkness.

Sephiroth ignored the question without hesitation. "Walk towards me."

The blonde frowned in confusion, awkwardly positioning himself before the man and placing himself in touching distance. He could feel himself physically shaking, the nerves overwhelming him. Although he had felt nervousness before, it had never been quite as intense as this. No one had previously been able to make him feel unable to function as a human being or struggle to form a sentence. There was no longer any moisture remaining in Cloud's mouth.

Sephiroth stepped towards him without even a sign of the emotion the blonde felt. As he did so, Cloud felt his entire body shudder in a way which he had not experienced before. The General raised his fingers towards the blondes mouth, tilting his chin upwards and forcing their eyes to make contact. Cloud remained frozen to the spot, unable to comprehend what was currently happening.

The General leaned himself towards the blonde, as if he were going to kiss him. Cloud felt his stomach lurch in anticipation as his lips continued to tremble and dangle open without restraint. However Sephiroth did not choose to kiss the blonde; instead he simply positioned his lips against his, which were close enough to brush against lightly although too distant to enclose against. Sephiroth began to smirk to himself, delicately pushing his bottom lip against the blondes as he watched him shake against them.

Cloud unintentionally released an exasperated gasp as the generals hands began to snake down his stomach. There was no longer a breath upon his clumsy lips, as Sephiroth moved his head towards the blondes neck and blew against it lightly. As Cloud jolted forwards, the General snickered against him, wrapping his teeth around the pale skin and biting without warning. There was no room for questioning as Sephiroth animalistically moved his hands against the blondes hardened crotch, slamming himself into the blonde as he did so.

Although he tried to prevent it, Cloud practically squealed as he felt himself be suffocated in the man's merciless grasp. Sephiroth released his teeth from the blonde's throbbing neck and trailed his tongue teasingly up against his neck. As his mouth reached the now blushing ear, Cloud was prepared to allow himself to simply embrace the moment and ignore his constant questioning. However, the General was not hoping to achieve the blondes approval and quickly nibbled against the earlobe as he uttered an unexpected sentence.

Sephiroth practically growled into the blonde's ear. "... Liar."

All of a sudden the forceful grip loosened as Cloud felt himself be released from the man and immediately rush back to reality. Sephiroth casually brushed himself down, the closeness of the moment disappearing into non-existence without merely a goodbye. The blonde looked down at his hardness in both confusion and exasperation, before he quickly diverted his gaze back to Sephiroth.

The General took a sip of his drink, locking eyes with the dithering Cloud as he did so. "Let me ask you again," he stated, his expression now both forceful and playful. "Has there been something on your mind since you saw me in the doorway?"

Cloud could not believe the situation he had been placed in... had that all been to prove a point?

The General recognised the blonde's disbelief. "As I previously mentioned, I know more about you than you recognise, Cloud Strife."

There were no words or famous quotes to explain how the blonde felt at that moment in time. Although he should have walked out of the room, shouted across at the man or challenged his ignorance, Cloud could do nothing but gaze across at him in both lust and wanting. The blonde was already wrapped around his little finger, and Sephiroth knew it. All of the rumours that were whispered... all of the tales of broken hearts and being played... there were undoubtedly true.

The man had successfully destroyed any sense of self worth and respect he had left. It had all been crushed in the space of two minutes.

"How experienced are you, Strife?" the General asked.

The blonde felt himself redden and choked at the question presented to him.

But he did not need to answer, as Sephiroth could already tell what the blondes answer was... and it was the answer he had been hoping for.

"Good, then continue to drink up."

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**Please let me know if you'd like me to continue this story! I KNOW I'VE BEEN GONE SO LONG, FOR REASONS I CANNOT EXPLAIN, but I am keen to continue. Who knows what will happen next? I don't even know myself... ;)**


	3. The Recollection

**Conflicting Characters**

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_Thank you for your support after my return! I know it took a long time... In this chapter, Cloud recalls what happened with Sephiroth the previous night and allows us to return to where we left off in the previous chapter._

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The Recollection

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An overwhelming sense of regret surfaced through the blonde as he reluctantly stepped into the counsellors office. Although he had greeted this immeasurable level of discomfort for months now, it was made significantly more unbearable as a result of what had happened to him the previous night. The image of the General Sephiroth refused to leave him, and left him with a bitter tasting aftermath; it was however mixed with a feeling of agonizing excitement.

The counsellor tore his attention from his computer as he heard Cloud delicately slam the door behind him. There was not a single attempt to mask the look of disbelief that washed over his face as he analysed the dishevelled figure before him. It would have been dishonest of him to pretend that the blonde looked anything but unhealthy.

"What on earth have you been doing," he asked with genuine concern.

Cloud grimaced at the question and positioned himself directly opposite the man, intentionally pushing the chair backwards to maintain distance. Regardless of whether he felt offended by the question relayed to him, he could not deny that it was appropriately asked. The blonde's eyes were shrouded in darkness, and scarcely recognisable with the skin below them both sunken and a sickening shade of grey. Although Cloud had desired to possess cheekbones for a considerable amount of time, he now concluded they made him appear gaunt and fragile. There was no longer an ounce of fat present on his skeletal frame; the man was rapidly fading away and becoming merely a fraction of his previous self.

Of course the blonde remained undeniably attractive, despite his somewhat frightful appearance.

"I'm not suggesting you look disgusting," the man quickly added, recognising that he had offended the blonde. "It's just… well, you look extremely thin Strife, and ill."

Cloud threw the man an awkward smile and scratched at his hair. "It's the tablets, I'm guessing."

The therapist did not appear entirely convinced. "Are you still smoking like a train and drinking like a middle-aged woman going through a divorce settlement?"

"Are you eating at all?" he continued, pointing rudely across at Cloud's non-existent stomach.

The blonde clasped his hands around his hips without intention, squeezing miserably against the sharply sculpted bones. Although the counsellor appeared to disagree, Cloud did not intentionally allow himself to become so unhealthily thin. The blonde began to roll a sentence off his tongue in an attempt to defend himself, but became involuntarily stunned mid-sentence.

As his hands continued to clutch at his hips, Cloud abruptly became overwhelmed by inappropriate arousal and nausea. The feel of his own fingers clutching at flesh was replaced by another forceful hand, and although it was based on a memory, the experience was regardless vivid. It was as if Sephiroth was there himself, repeating the same skillful movements he had performed the night previous. Without intention, the blonde uttered a non-rehearsed sentence to the man.

"I managed to eat well the other morning," he practically purred, continuing to gaze aimlessly across the room as he did so.

The therapist was intrigued by Cloud's delayed response, and the indisputable sight of him blushing. It was not something he had previously witnessed, and it made him cautious in his approach.

"Someone informed me you collapsed during your last mission," he said carefully, reluctant to continue his sentence, although too curious to leave it unsaid. "Apparently, you stayed in the General's room."

Cloud immediately jolted back into reality and spluttered in his response. "Yes, well, he said they had asked him to take care of me."

The man's tone grew obviously suggestive. "Did he succeed in taking care of you?"

An relentless discomposure tore at the atmosphere and suffocated the blonde once the sentence had been uttered. The question had not been anticipated, and was certainly not appreciated. Cloud tried desperately to respond calmly, but merely felt his mouth dangle open as if it were a separate entity entirely.

The therapist leaned forward in his chair, throwing the blonde a serious expression. "Now, I need you to be completely honest with me about what happened. I am not allowed to repeat any information you tell me, but I need to know if I'm to be able to effectively help you."

Cloud was squirming opposite him, screaming at himself mentally for being so utterly transparent.

"Why do you assume anything happened?" he asked, his cheeks continuing to redden with each second.

The therapist sighed explosively at him. "Although I should not admit it, you would not be the first person to tell me something like this. The man is, shall we say, notorious for such things."

Cloud felt an indescribable pain strangle his heart as the man's final sentence was uttered. Of course he was aware of Sephiroth's reputation, and had known it to be truth… but it was regardless still unbearable to hear someone mention it, especially after what had happened.

"If I tell you…" he choked, refusing to look directly at the man. "Could I please turn away from you? Otherwise I won't be able to tell you everything."

The man nodded sympathetically. "Of course, Cloud, I know how shy you are sometimes."

Although it was not an ideal scenario, or something he would willingly agree to, Cloud allowed himself to reposition the chair in order for him to face the wall. There was a brief moment of silence, as he awaited the man's orders to begin his confession.

It took merely a few seconds for the therapist to lose patience. "Well then, Cloud… let's begin."

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The blonde had never endured such merciless tension and found himself dumbstruck. It was as if something significant was to initiate, and the two of them could equally sense it.

Sephiroth perched on the bed beside him and quietly complained of the heat within the room. Although he would have not been able to respond regardless, the blonde was not quick enough to acknowledge the comment before the man began peeling his shirt off. There was an immediate strangled noise released from Cloud's lips as he gawped at the performance.

The General removed the material and revealed his sculpted figure once more. It was a sight that reduced the blonde to an embarrassing state of obsession. Cloud had found people appealing before as was natural to do so, but no human being had ever managed to rend his emotions and force him to analyse each individual aspect of their beauty. It was not a simple matter of appreciating his features, but more complicatedly, to recognise each individual strength and ponder how someone could be so breathtaking.

The blonde focused on the way in which Sephiroth's hair playfully rested against his skin; it was something so simple, yet remarkably breathtaking. Cloud itched to reach out and feel his hands enclose against the porcelain skin; to trace each individual scar and muscle. There was an additional desire for the blonde to inform Sephiroth on his thoughts, and reveal to him just how indescribably perfect he was. It was not able to reduce the blonde to tears; however the emotion was powerful enough to make him tremble against the bedsheets.

It had been two minutes since the man had discarded his shirt, and Cloud had throughout that space of time intruded on his privacy and gawked at his bare skin. To avoid further embarrassment, the blonde urged himself to lean forwards and claim his drink. Although he felt too nervous to merely hold the glass, it was an opportunity to create a distraction. However, as the blonde delicately reached his arm towards the cabinet, he felt a piercing sensation engulf his stomach and release a stifled groan of discontempt.

Sephiroth immediately recognise the blonde's struggle and diverted his gaze across to him. "What's the matter?" he asked, lacking genuine concern in his tone.

The blonde's breathing became rapid and unpredictable. "I've hurt my stomach."

"Show me," Sephiroth ordered, leaning himself away from the bed and ever closer to the blonde.

As the General inched closer towards his target, he opted to lift his glass and finish the remaining drop of alcohol that lay within it. The two of them had already drank a considerable amount, perhaps a little too much to be thought of as professional. Cloud could feel himself becoming consumed with the usual feeling of lightheadedness and sickness. Fortunately, he could recognise a similar behaviour in Sephiroth, whose eyes were slowly becoming dazed and uncontrolled. It was a dangerous situation to put themselves in, especially considering the obvious intentions of Sephiroth and vulnerability of Cloud.

The blonde was not concerned for the potential outcomes however; it was realistic to admit that he was already wrapped around the man's little finger. Whatever he desired, he would get. Although conversation was clearly not something Cloud could so freely offer, as the two of them had spent the majority of their time together sat in silence. The silence practically sliced through the blonde and sent him a thousand questions - was he boring the man? Did he want him to leave? Sephiroth however, had continued to maintain a cool exposure throughout, almost entirely unaffected.

Cloud did as he was commanded, reluctantly lifted up his shirt to reveal an open wound. The goriness of the sight did not bother him though; it was having to display his skinny stomach that plummeted his self confidence and made him blush once more. Sephiroth did not appear fazed, opting to stare at the blonde's figure with a look of hunger, rather than disgust.

The man continued to stare at him as if he were a fresh meal. "I would suggest curing you of the wound," he said, causing the blonde's heart to leap in relief. "However… I'm not going to do that. If you want to become strong, you need to learn to cope with the pain."

Before Cloud was able to protest, the man proposed a different alternative. "There are other ways of relieving pain…" he growled, diverting his gaze to the lower half of the blondes body.

It took the blonde merely a couple of seconds to grasp Sephiroth's intentions. The initial excitement it granted him was quickly replaced with fear and self-consciousness. Cloud was not able to predict the extent of Sephiroth's proposal, and acknowledged that it would likely involve him revealing areas of his body which he would rather remain hidden. The most filthy thing the blonde had ever allowed himself to do was pleasure himself, and had no further knowledge of how to please either gender sexually. Sephiroth was evidently experienced, skillful and confident; what would he make of the blonde's sloppiness? Would he laugh at him?

The man could sense Cloud's unease. "Is that something you would like?" he asked, although did not appear willing to reason regardless of the answer.

"W-what do you want me to do?" Cloud asked, unable to simply form a complete sentence.

Sephiroth laughed at that, almost cruelly. "What do I want you to do? Nothing. Right now, I want to do something to you. We can leave the rest for now."

The blonde re-read the sentence back to himself… for now?

Sephiroth became erratic and impatient, forcefully kneeling onto the blonde's bed and effectively straddling him in the process. The immediacy of the action sent Cloud's head spinning, which made him fearful of passing out, or worse vomiting. However, it did not take long for Sephiroth to erase that sensation and replace it with arousal, as he ripped the bed-sheets off of them both and snaked his hands between the blondes legs.

The other hand reached out towards Cloud's chin and violently tilted it upwards, forcing the two of them to make eye-contact. Sephiroth's villainous eyes bored into the blondes, reeling in his obvious nervous state, causing him to snicker as he uttered a sentence. "Who do you belong to?" he asked him, tilting his head as he did so, attempting to intimidate him.

It undoubtedly worked, as the blonde trembled in his response. "What?"

"Who do you belong to," Sephiroth repeated.

Cloud was barely able to respond as he felt the strong clasp of the General's fingers fall from his chin and head towards a dangerous area indeed. The blonde became stunned as he watched Sephiroth impatiently undo his zipper and tear his trousers down towards his knees.

The previous question remained unanswered, which infuriated Sephiroth, a man who was so used to receiving whatever he desired. Cloud felt himself take a sharp breath in as the man dropped his head down towards his clothed erection and pause momentarily. "Answer my question," Sephiroth practically hissed, wrapping two hands around the blonde's thighs as he kissed lightly against the bulge.

Cloud's body involuntarily bucked upwards as he felt the teasing lips of the General rest against his length. As the sensation flowed mercilessly through him, and destroyed any remaining sense of self-control, he heard himself utter a flustered sentence. "You."

The man smiled to himself as he gained the response he wanted. It confirmed that the blonde was easily controlled, and enlarged his already enormous ego. Sephiroth enjoyed domination; nothing gave him greater pleasure that controlling a helpless victim. Without further hesitation, he peeled Cloud's boxers towards his already discarded trousers and revealed something that made the blonde incredibly self-conscious.

Cloud was unable to comprehend that this was happening… he was entirely on show… to the General of the company!

The blonde groaned in embarrassment as he watched Sephiroth carefully analyse his length. Although Cloud imagined he had seen many greater contenders before, the General still allowed himself to pause and evaluate the sight before him. There were various questions circling the blonde's overwhelmed mind; would he laugh and leave him be? Was he attempting to be polite by saying nothing at all? Cloud could not face the thought of rejection from such a man.

Fortunately, it was quite the contrary, as Sephiroth finally tore himself away from the length and instead stared upon the blonde's reddened face. "Mmm," he simply said, and although not an actual statement, the sound of the man's moan was able to erase some of Cloud's worries.

Sephiroth sounded completely and utterly animalistic… overwhelmed by his want for the blonde.

Without further ado, the General quickly became impatient enough to claim his prize, rather than merely stare at it. Cloud stopped breathing momentarily as he watched Sephiroth lower himself towards the organ before him, no longer able to feel the previous aching from his wound. All the blonde could experience was anticipation and desperation, as the man began to blow teasingly against the tip. Although he should have been doubting the situation, and asking himself how he had landed himself in such a position, there was no more he could do but allow himself to belong to the man.

And as Sephiroth finally reached his destination, wrapping those skilful lips around the length and greedily consuming the blonde whole, Cloud closed his eyes and waited for the surge of pleasure which never came to him. The anticipated feeling of the man's warm tongue was replaced with complete and utter numbness, which followed with a shadow that cascaded the blonde in darkness. There was no longer Sephiroth between his legs… there was … nothingness.

* * *

There was an unexpected silence within the room as the counsellor fidgeted impatiently in his chair and awaited the continuation of the story. The man had been so consumed with the blonde's recollection that he had failed to recognise the ending of the sentence. It became evident however when Cloud awkwardly turned his chair back around, in order to face the man once more.

The counsellor frowned across at him. "What on earth do you mean, it all went dark?"

Cloud sheepishly grinned, staring down at his shaking hands. "I guess I must have collapsed."

"How much did you drink?" the man asked him, clearly disappointed with the conclusion of the tale. "I have told you countless times that you cannot drink on those tablets I prescribe to you."

The blonde merely shrugged, choosing to ignore the question. "It's not something I regularly suffer with."

There was a final question lurking in the counsellor's mind. "What happened after that?"

Cloud would have rather ignored the question, due to the shame it brought upon him. However, it would have been pointless to leave it unsaid, especially as he had admitted so much previously.

"I woke up in the morning and he was gone," he said sadly, recalling the emotion he had been left with, once greeted with an empty room. "I hunted for a note or something, but he had just left without saying anything."

"Did you see him again?" the man asked, recognising that the blonde was upset.

Cloud nodded at him, recalling the awkward situation vividly. "I saw him when we left for Midgar, only briefly though. We made eye-contact from afar, and he simply stared into me with no emotion… no anything. It was almost as if nothing had happened."

The counsellor released a sigh of relief. "Well, I can't pretend that I'm not happy about that."

The blonde jolted up with a look of sheer discontent washing over his face, offended that the man did not appear sympathetic. Although he was of course far from the truth, which he shortly discovered.

"I'm angry that the situation got that out of hand," the man began, lifting his hand to prevent the blonde from interrupting. "However… if that's all that happened, then leave it that way."

Cloud almost became tearful as a result. "Why?"

"The man is a sexual predator and sadistic psychopath," the man informed him, shaking his head in disapproval as he did so. "I know of so many poor bastards that have been hurt by him. The man uses people for his own benefit, and then leaves them to obsess over him."

Unfortunately for Cloud, he was not finished. "You have to promise me you won't see him like that again, under any circumstance."

The blonde reluctantly agreed to leave Sephiroth be.

"No, I need you to mean it," the man snapped, almost raising out of his chair, evidently passionate in what he was saying. "We have spent months talking, understanding your situations and trying to make things easier for you. If you allow yourself to pursue Sephiroth, you will only make your situation worse."

Cloud listened to each word uttered to him, but did not entirely grasp the importance behind them.

"I am certain he will not contact you again," the counsellor said, his voice now coated with sympathy and genuine concern. "After what happened, he has probably had all he wants and feels irritated that you fainted. If you pursue him, you will only get hurt."

The blonde bowed his head heavily, eventually understanding the man and recognising the reality of the situation. Sephiroth had been using him, for one single night, and would not allow him the opportunity to belong to him again. The thought made him indescribably miserable; it successfully erased any shred of happiness gained as a result of their closeness the previous night, and the excitement he had gained from being sexually wanted by Sephiroth.

"I promise," he practically whispered, raising himself out of the chair and staring emptily down at the man before him.

The counsellor nodded, pleased with the response. "Good, well I'll be seeing you."

Cloud forced himself to smile across at the man, before heading towards the door and swinging it open with all the effort he could muster. The process of walking became extremely difficult, as his feet felt heavier than usual, although light in comparison to his heart. It would be the start of an extended period of depression, which could consume him for days to come. Cloud knew the feeling all too well, and yearned to be in his room, alcohol and cigarettes in his grasp.

The blonde was entirely lost in his thoughts, walking slowly and agonisingly up the corridor, oblivious to the figures passing and approaching him. Cloud would have continued to remain in a perplexed state, utterly robotic until he reached the barracks, if it would not have been for the familiar figure that stood only metres before him. If it would have been any other greeting him, the blonde would have likely remained ignorant and passed them. But it was not a man he could simply ignore...

Cloud felt his entire body spring to life in an almost excruciating as his eyes regained their focus and laid upon the approaching figure. The acid inside his stomach quickly rose to his throat and threatened to pour out uncontrollably, which he was fortunately able to swallow down. It was as if time momentarily stopped, and all other human life in the hallway became non-existent.

… Sephiroth lay before him, similarly staring across at the blonde.

It was entirely unfair, unreasonable, for the man to be presented to him now that he had promised to forget about their encounter. The embarrassment as a result of his fainting also resurfaced, and quickly forced him to break eye-contact and stare down at the floor. Cloud's pace quickened as his yearned to pass the man and be free of the discomfort.

However, as their shoulders brushed against one another and the open space before him grew closer, Cloud felt himself unable to proceed forward. Sephiroth's shoulder forcefully pushed against his, which made the blonde helpless to move, due to the man's superior strength. There was little time to comprehend what had happened, before he felt Sephiroth's arm grasp around his and pull the blonde towards him.

The lips that had previously engulfed his length were now lowered towards the blonde's ear. Sephiroth's tone was empty, although the gravity of the sentence was evident. "If you do not repeat what happened to anyone," he told him, the intimacy of the moment almost consuming the blonde entirely. "We can see one another again."

And just as quickly as it had commenced, the moment ended and Cloud felt himself be released from the grasp of the General. Sephiroth continued up the hall, although his footsteps appeared to considerably decrease following a few seconds. Unnerved by it and curious to see whether Sephiroth had anything else to say, Cloud nervously turned around and gazed upon the main.

However, the sight that was presented to him was not expected, or more importantly, wanted.

Cloud forcefully swallowed down the lump in his throat as he saw the counsellor emerge from his office and acknowledge the General stood in the hallway. The blonde panicked, fearing the man's reaction would reveal the knowledge he had been presented with, and make it obvious that Cloud had discussed their encounter. Sephiroth had likely seen the blonde leave the office, and would have already known he was visiting a counsellor.

"Good morning," Sephiroth uttered to the man casually.

The counsellor quickly glanced at Cloud's stationary figure in the hallway, assuming the two of them had passed one another and potentially talked. Fortunately, he was subtle enough for Sephiroth to miss and within a millisecond he returned his gaze to the General. The man smiled across at him with a rehearsed friendliness, and returned the general greeting. "Good morning, Sephiroth."

Cloud watched as the two of them continued their business and left him stood in the corridor, pondering why Sephiroth had chosen to stop and talk to the man...

It quickly became evident to him that Sephiroth had spoken to the counsellor for a reason… he had been testing him. After ordering Cloud to keep their encounter a secret, he had seen the counsellor and reached the assumption that the two could have discussed what happened. Sephiroth had wanted to analyse the man's reaction, and would determine the answer through the level of friendliness presented to him. The counsellor had recognised this, forced himself to smile and concealed the truth from Sephiroth.

… Cloud became overwhelmed with fear… he was clearly dealing with a sociopath of the highest order, and an exceptionally intelligent one at that. This diagnosis made Sephiroth appear all the more intimidating.

What on earth was he getting himself into?

The blonde stopped himself mid-sentence, to recall that he had made a promise to leave Sephiroth be in order to avoid heartbreak. But of course, he could do no such thing. How could he leave it be, after Sephiroth had presented the opportunity to continue their bizarre relationship? The counsellor had warned Cloud that the General would likely not approach him again, and to pursue him would be reckless. However, Sephiroth had pursed Cloud without being confronted and evidently wanted to see him again; it must have meant something.

Of course, unbeknown to Cloud, it meant absolutely no such thing to Sephiroth.

The power of denial was something the blonde was not currently familiar with, but would soon be unable to avoid as he walked positively down the hall and came to a realisation. Tomorrow was the day of the annual Shrina staff party, and Sephiroth would likely be attending. Originally, he had snorted at the idea and left his friends offended with his refusal. However, he could not pass the opportunity to see the man again, especially now he had been offered some hope.

Cloud was finally receiving the excitement he longed so dearly for in his life… but neglected to recognize that with the excitement, came unavoidable hurt. How could he realistically ever hope to win the heart of Sephiroth?

* * *

**Thank you for all of your reviews and follows! I would really appreciate it if you could all give some feedback, it's what keeps me going!**

**I've planned out loads of chapters, and have big ideas for this fanfic!**


	4. Possessive

**Conflicting Characters**

* * *

_Apologies for the length of the chapter! **Please continue to review this story, without your feedback, how will I know if anyone is enjoying this?** Thank you to all of those who have reviewed already. In this chapter, Cloud attends the Annual Shinra Gathering... will Sephiroth be there? What does the night have in store?_

* * *

Possessive

An unfamiliar reflection greeted Cloud Strife as he continued to alter his appearance and reconstruct himself into something he considered attractive. It'd been an agonizing process for the blonde as he relentlessly tore at his self confidence, becoming emotionally drained in the process. After months of allowing himself to be somewhat lenient with his appearance, it felt unusual to make an effort to look good. Had the stakes not been so high, it may have been easier for him to reach satisfaction and feel comfortable in his skin. The thought of Sephiroth recognising him and deeming him to be unappealing was too painful to even comprehend.

Cloud had opted for loose fitting clothing, which effectively concealed his small frame and gave the illusion of potential muscle and shape; although Sephiroth had already laid his eyes upon the blonde's skeletal figure and would not fall for such an illusion. Fortunately, the blonde could focus on alternative features on his body, which would act as a distraction. Cloud's blonde locks had recently appeared deflated and lifeless as a result of laziness and lack of bother. It was the one aspect of himself he appreciated, and was confident would draw attention away from his exhausted facial features. The blonde had plastered himself in product, allowing his hair to defy the laws of physics and extend to a height that should have realistically been impossible.

It would be appropriate to assume that Cloud was attending a funeral, rather than an annual gathering. The clothes he wore were all black and made almost entirely of leather, which drew even greater attention to his hair as it was the only part of him that held any colour. Although he wasn't necessarily wearing skinny jeans, his legs were too skinny to fit in anything but the smallest clothing size. As a result, the material wrapped tightly around his legs and left little to the imagination. Fortunately, his jacket was long enough to conceal anything incriminating.

There was nothing more the blonde could physically improve upon, so he reluctantly peeled himself away from the mirror and collapsed onto his bed. Almost immediately, his eyes rested on a newspaper clipping he had torn out previously that morning, which perched invitingly on his bedside table. At a first glance it would have appeared entirely innocent, without suspicious intentions. However, the blonde knew that if anyone would have entered his room whilst he was studying the clipping, it would have been a different situation entirely. Cloud could claim the picture of Sephiroth inspired him, and was simply a reminder of his hero. It would have been believable, if the blonde had not been using the picture for his own sexual benefit.

"...You're a pervert," he whispered to himself, recalling the somewhat creepy incident that had taken place earlier that morning.

Following their previous encounter in the hallway, Cloud had been desperate to obtain anything that held information regarding the General. Coincidentally, his friend had entered his room that morning unannounced and thrown a newspaper at the blonde, claiming that his name was mentioned. Of course, it had been a joke, and Cloud had almost savagely murdered the man before recognising even greater potential before him. It was even better than being mentioned in the newspaper… it was an image of the man he desired most.

It had taken him merely a few seconds to dismiss his friend and snake himself underneath the bedsheets. The blonde had impatiently discarded his boxers and rested his hand against a non-existent hardness; although it did not take long for that to change. Sephiroth's expression was predictably both emotionless and cold, especially in comparison to the beaming figures circling him in the picture. Those soulless eyes pierced through the camera lens and unknowingly intimidated the blonde without him even being present. Cloud had thrown his head against the pillows behind him and forced his eyes shut, continuing to picture that expression. Although it had been manipulated in his filthy mind, Sephiroth uttering unimaginable things…

It was not like Cloud to pleasure himself to the thought of others, or pleasure himself at all. The past few months had left him lacking sexual frustration, and made it difficult to become hard. Sephiroth had swiftly changed that, and turned the blonde into something he did not recognise.

"An obsessive and sexually frustrated pervert…" Cloud muttered to himself.

The blonde could no longer recall what had occurred following his fantasy, as an unexpected sadness flowed through him and crippled him entirely. What if Sephiroth was not present at this annual meeting? Would all of his efforts go to waste within a couple of seconds?

Cloud could not bear to imagine the disappointment he would be faced with if Sephiroth decided to decline the invitation to attend. The blonde felt he could not withstand another hour without the General in his presence, and desperately attempted to overcome the aching within his heart.

Without further ado, the blonde gloomily picked up his things and headed out of the door.

* * *

The blonde did not need to be physically in the building to recognise that the party would confirm all of his original doubts and have him questioning his intentions.

Cloud released an explosive sigh as he opened the door and allowed himself to enter the scenario of his worst nightmares. As predicted the room was crammed tighter than the recommended capacity, with drunken idiots spilling out of the sides to match. The sound of people laughing and shouting echoed throughout the building and drew even greater attention to the blonde's miserable attitude. Cloud quickly reminded himself that if it were not for Sephiroth, he would not be allowing himself into these conditions, and continued to force his way towards the bar.

The blonde practically had to struggle through the crowd of familiar faces in order to reach his destination. Cloud was naturally uncomfortable with physical closeness, and felt himself become overwhelmed with the heat emitting off of the surrounding people. It seemed like a lifetime until he was able to breathlessly lean himself against the bar and shout across to the waitress.

"I'll have a bottle of rose wine," he choked, slamming his money down on the counter.

Cloud recognised the look of disapproval on the waitress's face, and assumed it was due to his unfriendly attitude and the rude way in which he addressed her. However, he was not willing to apologise or change his approach, as he quickly reminded himself of what he was doing there. The blonde had not even attempted to scan the sea of people, too overwhelmed to comprehend whether Sephiroth could be lurking within the shadows.

"No…" he whispered to himself, a weight collapsing onto his heart as he frantically searched the room for the General. Cloud looked at each possible crowd before him, once, twice, a thousand times and gradually reached a heart breaking conclusion… he had not turned up.

The waitress returned with an empty glass, glaring across at the blonde as she began to pour his drink. Cloud abruptly stopped her, forcing himself to smile as he did so, feeling an inconvenience to the poor woman. "I'll have the bottle," he said, pulling out his money and choosing to hand it delicately across to her, rather than simply throw it. "... Please."

Surprised by the blonde's change of attitude, and more importantly appreciative, the waitress smiled across at him and placed the bottle in front of him. "Would you still like the glass?"

Cloud began to shake his head and decline the offer, before recognising that it would be socially unacceptable to do. Although he would happily drink from the bottle at home, he imagined it would deem him an animal, or potentially an alcoholic, amongst his colleagues. Although both statements were undeniably true, the blonde still feared negative criticism from his peers.

"I would, thank you," he nodded, removing the glass from the waitress and turning his attention towards the crowd once more. The sight merely filled him with anger and disappointment; there was no longer the possibility of encountering Sephiroth, and resultantly no reason for him to be present at the gathering whatsoever.

Cloud concluded that he would step outside for a cigarette, attempt to finish off his bottle and return to his room, where he would no doubt suffocate in misery for hours upon hours.

Although the addition of Sephiroth to his life appeared exhilarating, and admittedly gave him a happiness he had lacked in recent months, it brought significantly greater hurt and upset. The blonde was suffering with depression, and felt miserable the majority of his time, but it could not compare to the emotion he had been left with that night. Cloud could almost predict how the future would unravel if he were to become all the more obsessed over Sephiroth. Now that he had been given a taste of the man, and all of the alien sensations it gave him, Cloud wanted nothing else in his life. If he could not have Sephiroth, the blonde feared what he would do.

The sudden rush of fresh air brought Cloud a slight sense of relief, which temporarily distracted him from the disappointment he felt. There was another comfort for the blonde, as he desperately lit his cigarette and inhaled in as if it were his last breath. Cloud attempted to take a second drag of the cigarette, but was interrupted as someone called out his name.

… Or did they?

Cloud was evidently irritated at the interruption, as he scanned the crowd whilst wearing an enormous frown across his face. It was not prolonged however, as the blonde's eyes rested upon a familiar figure and allowed a grin to spread across his face. Although it was not the individual he had been hoping for, it was still someone that he both adored and loved.

"Zack!" he cried, the enthusiasm of his out sentence surprising the two of them equally. The blonde would be the first to admit that he was generally unsociable, and lacked genuine passion in most situations. It was mainly due to the relief of a distraction from his thoughts, and that he really, really liked the man, which was something he could not claim about most people.

Cloud went to embrace his open arms and allow himself to melt in his muscles, but found himself unwillingly halted in his tracks. It was not a conscious decision; the blonde's body had reacted before his brain and recognised something before the blonde was able to understand it. The muscular arms of Zack Fair continued to dangle before him, and had blurred along with the remainder of Cloud's vision. There was only a single feature that the blonde could recognise, and it did not belong to his raven-haired friend.

The General was stood directly besides Zack.

Cloud clumsily allowed himself to embrace his friend, although his attention still remained entirely on the man beside him. The blonde quickly diverted his gaze, smiling up at Zack as he attempted to continue his cigarette. It appeared more difficult than imagined, as Cloud felt himself trembling as a result of the nerves within him. The cigarette shook in his hand, and pushed against all areas of the blonde's face other than his lips. It was evident that he was shaking, and Cloud could not face the questioning, throwing his cigarette onto the floor, defeated.

Fortunately no one appeared to have recognised his nervous state, other than the single person the blonde had hoped would miss it. Sephiroth continued to stare across at him, without consideration of appearing obvious to his friend. Although Zack was quite clearly intoxicated, and would not have recognised this regardless. The General could have grabbed the blonde by the scruff of his neck and kissed him passionately, and Zack would continue to remain naive… Cloud blushed at the mere thought of it happening.

It was bizarre and a little infuriating, that Cloud had prayed he would encounter Sephiroth and felt himself slip into depression once he had been refused his wish. However, the man was now stood before him and within his grasp, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl away. Cloud was evidently being affected by his nerves, and felt that uncomfortable it made him sick.

"What are you doing here?" Zack snorted, slurring his words as he did so. "You're usually such an unsociable bastard, blondie!"

Cloud felt himself become awkward, and began analysing his response before he'd even uttered it. Usually he would respond with a sarcastic comment and roll his eyes at his friend. The blonde found himself unable to respond naturally, and forced a strangled sentence from his lips. "Shut up, I wanted to come."

Cloud wanted to appear confident and in control of the situation, preferring to have responded with something intelligent and humorous, rather than… boring. But Sephiroth made that impossible, as his eyes bored into the blonde and scrutinised his every movement. Cloud found it difficult to simply function as a human being in his presence, let alone a confident one.

The blonde watched as Zack's eyes flashed mischievously, fearing he would reveal something unsavoury and embarrass him in front of the General. "So do you have anyone you're interested in here tonight?" the man asked flirtatiously, licking his lips playfully at the blonde. "I'll have to watch out for you! Tonight could be the night you lose your precious flower!"

Cloud groaned in embarrassment as his friend's shameless statement.

The blonde glared up at Zack as his cheeks began to redden, and the trembling within his body continued to worsen with each second. However, his piercing gaze could not distract from Sephiroth's reaction beside him, as Cloud watched the man bite his lip in response to the comment. It was not at all subtle, as the General practically pierced his lips with his teeth.

The blonde was only able to comprehend the action momentarily, as he watched Sephiroth depart from the crowd and head towards the building. Cloud yearned to follow him, and involuntarily began ignoring Zack as he watched Sephiroth slip away from them. The sadness returned to him once more, despite his previous wish to leave the situation and get himself as far away from Sephiroth as humanely possible.

Cloud furrowed his brows in confusion as he felt a vibrating sensation travel across his thigh. Whilst Zack continued to drunkenly speak to him, the blonde flew his hands towards his pocket and quickly realised that his phone was alerting him of a message. As he pulled the device towards his face, Cloud began to ponder who the sender could possibly be. It was an unknown number which unnerved him, as he rarely gave out his contact details. Suspiciously, he began to read the text before him and continue to neglect the unaware Zack.

_"Let's hope Cloud Strife does."_

The blonde remained none the wiser of the sender… until the previous subject re-entered his mind and sent his stomach somersaulting. Zack had previously mentioned him losing his flower, and Sephiroth had quickly departed following that comment. Was it possible that the General was messaging him? It did not seem likely, as Cloud had not given him a phone number...

"What happened in the mission?"

Cloud immediately peeled himself away from his phone and at last acknowledged his friend.

"I heard you stayed in Sephiroth's room," Zack added, preventing the blonde from answering his previous question. "Did the two of you bump uglies?"

Cloud gasped at his friend's bluntness, and quickly ushered him to lower his voice.

It was evidently the alcohol that spurred his friend to be so open and tactless. The man was often intelligent with his approach, and would respect personal boundaries where necessary. However, he would always get the answer he longed for and knew exactly how to prize information from the blonde. This was the first time he had questioned him so freely, and not considered easing into the conversation before pestering him for answers.

"Well answer the question then!" Zack laughed, continuing to bellow across at him.

Cloud bowed his head towards the floor, unable to be dishonest with his friend.

The man needed no further clarification, and released a disappointed sigh at him. "That's exactly what I feared," he admitted, his voice coated in disapproval. "Please Cloud, be careful."

The blonde felt offended by the comment, and loathed being given orders, especially by people he considered friends. "I'm not an idiot Zack, I can handle it."

"No, that's just it, you can't," Zack protested, violently shaking his head as he continued to lecture the blonde. "Sephiroth is a serial heart-breaker, I know him better than you do. The man will fuck you around in every sense of the word and leave you once he's had his way with you."

Cloud struggled to hold back the tears, which were primarily caused by the alcohol.

"Look. He's not as special as you think," the man informed him. "Yes, he's good looking, and experienced, but he's not entirely flawless and perfect. There's a lot about him you don't know."

The blonde went to interrupt, but was immobilized from doing so as Zack flew his hand towards his lips and forced them closed. "When you see Sephiroth's raw side," he continued, allowing the alcohol to erase his judgement and reveal private information. "When you see it, you'll know that he's an actual human being like the rest of us. When he's crying on your shoulder…"

Cloud could not prevent himself from interrupting this time. "Sephiroth has cried in front of you?"

The man went to nod in response, and quickly recognised his mistake. Zack's expression warped into a disgruntled mess as he realised he had revealed something he shouldn't have. In addition to the regret, he also became overwhelmed with sickness, and politely excused himself as he shielded his mouth with his hands. Cloud was unable to ignore the sound of vomit lurching from the gaps between his fingers as Zack ran towards the building.

"Beautiful…" he uttered to himself, smirking at the ordeal.

Cloud glanced down at his bottle of wine, and was genuinely taken aback to see that the entire content had been demolished. It appeared that his nerves had prevented the alcohol from effecting him entirely, and meant he would shortly reach a similar state to Zack. The blonde did not fear nausea, and agreed that he would return to the bar and order another drink. Anything to prevent himself from acting nervous in front of Sephiroth again… if he were to encounter him a second time that night.

The blonde forcefully pushed the door open and allowed himself back into the building. He recognised Sephiroth immediately, unable to ignore the villainous gaze he threw towards him. Cloud sheepishly struggled towards the bar, and ordered another glass of wine. As he handed the waitress his money, the blonde turned towards Sephiroth reluctantly and was surprised to see that the man was still watching him, as if he were a hawk. The blonde began to shake, despite the fact that the General was metres away from him and out of reach.

Cloud winced as he felt two arms wrap around his neck and almost successfully haul him towards the ground. As he greeted the familiar face reluctantly, he recognised Sephiroth's face darken at the sight of an interruption. The blonde forced himself to acknowledge his friend Chris, someone that he shared a room with back at the building.

"Would you like to take advantage of your friend?" Chris slurred at him him, refusing the blonde the chance to decline as he forcefully threw his lips against him.

Cloud did not attempt to contain his irritation. "I'd decline that offer sober!" he spat, throwing his hands into the man's stomach and peeling him off of his mouth. "... Moron."

The blonde glanced across at Sephiroth as he battled with his friend. Cloud felt himself shudder in what he considered to be fear, as he was greeted by a look of pure disgust. Sephiroth's eyes had darkened and become incredibly tempered; if looks could kill, the pair of them would have been obliterated within seconds. If the blonde's suspicions were correct, it would appear that Sephiroth was jealous, and extremely so. Cloud would not have previously considered the General to be possessive, and felt overwhelmed by the man's display of anger.

As he successfully removed his drunken friend, Cloud felt his phone vibrate in his pocket once more. Without hesitation, he drew it towards his face and held no doubt as to who the sender would be. As predicted, the previous number greeted him and filled his stomach with butterflies.

_"Meet me at the Shinra Building Entrance."_

Cloud immediately felt his mood lighten and all of the previous sadness within his mind transform into pure ecstasy. Of course, he was also nervous, and became all the more nauseous with each reading of the message. Cloud returned his attention to Sephiroth, who had mysteriously vanished and assumedly began making his way towards the Shinra Headquarters.

The blonde turned apologetically to his friend. "I'm going to have to leave you now."

Chris practically whimpered in response, and threw his hands towards his face. "But Cloud!"

The blonde attempted to haul himself away from his staggering friend, and found his pathway blocked by yet another individual who demanded his attention. Cloud sighed explosively, and anxiously searched around the room to ensure Sephiroth was not watching him. "How are you feeling Zack?" he laughed, although the answer was written across the man's grimacing face.

The Soldier struggled to hold himself together, and forcefully slammed his hand against the blonde's shoulder. "I need to drink some water, can you order me a glass?"

Cloud felt a wave of guilt surge through him. "I'm going now, why don't you head home as well?"

"I'll come with you?" Zack offered, oblivious to the fact that the blonde did not want company.

"I'm going to meet someone," he informed him, reluctant to reveal the identity of the person.

As predicted, the man was not willing to leave the subject be. "Who are you meeting then?"

Cloud forced himself to look away as he responded to his friend. "... Sephiroth."

The Soldier grimaced at that, although the blonde could not comprehend whether this was entirely due to the man he was meeting, or the alcohol that was slowly poisoning him.

Zack quickly scanned the room for the General, and furrowed his brows in confusion when he discovered that Sephiroth was no longer in the building. It took him longer that he'd prefer to admit to recognise that he had obviously left, in order to meet the blonde elsewhere.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, utterly innocent in his proposal.

Cloud pictured the General's face as he watched the blonde and Zack arrive together; it was not something he wanted to witness. "I'll be fine," he told him as politely as possible.

The blonde continued to picture the scenario, imagining the dumbfounded Zack forced to stand and watch himself and Sephiroth get intimate. Without intention, he began laughing at the thought of his friends reaction to the blonde having his innocence destroyed.

Zack's face turned deadly serious, the alcohol finally calming down enough to regain his senses. "Just be careful," he warned him, offering the blonde a clumsy hug.

And although he knew it was a blatant lie, the blonde nodded in his response. "I will be."

* * *

The Shinra Headquarters loomed over Cloud as he nervously made his way towards the main entrance and neared closer and closer to the General. It was the first time in months that he had approached the building and felt genuine fear at the sight of the enormous Shinra logo. Cloud could remember the sinking feeling in his gut when he had first approached the headquarters and began his life as an Infantryman. Although he could still recall the anxiety he had felt, and the unbearable amount of butterflies in his stomach, nothing could compare to what he was currently feeling at that moment in time.

Sephiroth looked up and remained expressionless as he noticed the blonde, which deemed him heartless in comparison to Cloud, whose expression had turned ghostly at the sight of him. The General pulled out his phone and nodded across at him, signally to the blonde to follow suit. Within a matter of seconds, Cloud felt his phone vibrate prior to him having the chance to retrieve it from his pocket. The blonde stared down at the message as ordered to.

_"Second Floor, Meeting Room B - Do not follow me yet."_

The harshness of the text disheartened him, although only temporarily, as he remembered that it was the Almighty Sephiroth sending it to him. In all other situations, Cloud would have responded and demanded that the sender address him a lot less bluntly. But it was Sephiroth, and anything Sephiroth wanted, he would get without hesitation.

Cloud watched as the General passed through the main entrance and disappeared up the stairs. The man's departure had left him somewhat relieved, and had him questioning whether he could go ahead with the ordeal. There was a lump in the back of his throat, which was equally caused by the nerves and volume of alcohol he had consumed. Cloud wanted this, he wanted it desperately, whatever it may be that Sephiroth was willing to offer… but could he force himself to partake in this game? When the anxiety he felt threatened to obliterate him entirely?

The answer was yes, of course it was yes.

Cloud began shuffling towards the entrance, eager to prevent the inevitable as much as possible, but equally fearful of making the General wait for him. Although his pace was fairly rushed and the blonde followed Sephiroth as appropriate, it clearly was not satisfactory enough. Cloud was already aware that he was dealing with an impatient, selfish and unreasonable being, but still felt a pang of disbelief regardless as he felt his phone begin to ring.

The blonde shakily drew the phone towards his ear, and greeted the caller. "Hello?"

Sephiroth was not concerned with conversation. "Hurry up."

The call abruptly ended as the blonde stopped himself from protesting and stared gloomily down at his phone. Cloud could feel himself becoming disheartened, overwhelmed by the fear that consumed him as he analysed the tone in which Sephiroth had addressed him. The blonde wanted nothing more than to please him, and the mere thought of irritating him almost brought him to the verge of tears. Without further ado, Cloud began racing up the stairs and ignored the unhealthy sound of his heart hammering against his chest, threatening to tear the skin.

The blonde intentionally ignored all of the dumbfounded employees, who had stopped to gawp at Cloud running manically across the building. Room B… Room B… Cloud feared he would collapse as a result of exhaustion before reaching his destination. The details around him became blurred and unfocused as his attention solely rested on the room at the end of the corridor.

"Room B…" he whispered, pausing his movements as his hand grasped the door handle.

Cloud considered turning back and comprehending an excuse to give Sephiroth. What did he have in store for him? How would the blonde react? Cloud desperately attempted to create a conversation starter in his head, and instantly hit a brick wall in the process. The other night had confirmed that Sephiroth was impossible to talk to, and Cloud feared a similar silence that had been suffered the previous time they met.

But it was too late to turn back now, and Cloud knew the regret he would face would be significantly more powerful than the uncomfortableness of this encounter.

The door handle was titled with difficulty, as the blonde's sweaty palms struggled to clutch at the circular object and merely slipped with each attempt. Cloud released a sound of surprise, as he felt the handle turn on its own accord and reveal an irritable Sephiroth.

The General quickly turned from him and positioned himself in the middle of the room. Cloud awkwardly closed the door behind him, and pushed his back against it, as if his body were aching to turn around and leave. Sephiroth ushered him closer, and the blonde reluctantly obliged as he shuffled himself closer to the man and felt himself begin to shudder.

"I'm sorry…" Cloud attempted to say, wanting to apologise for this lateness. The sentence was interrupted by the General's hand, which flew out in front of him and demanded his silence.

Sephiroth shook his head at the blonde. "It doesn't matter."

The General lowered himself into the chair behind him, struggling in his actions as he painfully fidgeted into a comfortable position. Cloud could recognise that the man was drunk, and concluded that he wasn't the only one who numbed the pain with alcohol… whatever pain the General held within him. Sephiroth was absolutely hammered, and evidently so. The blonde watched as his eyes struggled to keep themselves open, and his breathing became all the more rapid.

Cloud was expecting to be ordered to sit down, and felt a wave of confusion as the man allowed him to continue standing. The blonde yearned to ask about Sephiroth's intentions, and repeated the question within his head again and again, until it became too unnatural to utter to him.

After what felt like a lifetime, Sephiroth at last spoke to him. "I want you to take off your clothes."

The blonde's eyes practically sprang out of their sockets in response. "B-but I…" he stuttered, staring miserably down at his clothed figure. "I have a horrible body."

Sephiroth almost appeared offended by the comment. "There is nothing remotely horrible about you, Cloud Strife."

The blonde allowed himself to smile at the compliment, although questioned whether it had been said to simply silence him and prevent further interruptions. Cloud knew that he would have to reveal himself, and became emotional at the thought of it. It sounded ridiculous for the blonde to convince himself that he couldn't deny Sephiroth any request, as Cloud was capable of rejection... but he simply could not bring himself to do it, and was desperate to satisfy him whatever the cost.

Cloud denied the General eye contact as he reluctantly peeled off his jacket and threw it onto the desk beside him. The blonde could not prevent himself from wincing, as he continued with his shirt and slowly slipped it over his head, as to reveal his exposed stomach. Sephiroth continued to watch him as if it were a personal show, and appeared genuinely enticed by the sight.

The blonde quickly wrapped his hands around his stomach and attempted to conceal himself. Sephiroth growled in response, and flew off of his chair, causing Cloud to almost collapse in fear of what he might do to him. The General stopped in front of him, wrapping two forceful hands around Cloud's arms as he pulled away his arms and exposed him once more.

Cloud reddened in embarrassment and upset, the voices in his head convincing him that his body was hideous, and not at all good enough for such a man.

The General ignored the blonde's evident discomfort, and drew his hands towards his stomach with a delicate touch that he had not previously displayed. Cloud released a soft moan as Sephiroth skillfully traced down his ribcage and then towards his hips. The blonde continued to watch as the man's fingers clutched tightly at his hips and circled across the pale skin.

The General's eyes had become hazy and somewhat lost, as he became overwhelmed with the feel of Cloud's body between his fingers. Sephiroth was looking at him as if he were the most precious existence in the universe, and the blonde could not comprehend why. The previous display of violence and animalistic urges appeared to no longer exist; it was as if a different person entirely stood before the blonde.

Sephiroth continued to invade each individual area of the blonde's exposed stomach, and appeared to have forgotten the purpose of their meeting. It was the most passionate encounter Cloud had experienced to date, and temporarily made him forget the type of person Sephiroth was. The selfish, sadistic and egotistical bastard he had become familiar with was no longer present. Although it baffled him, Cloud could do nothing but reel in the moment and appreciate each and every feel of the General's skillful fingers.

As Sephiroth's hands began to inch towards the blonde's trousers, Cloud threw his head back and pushed himself against the man. The General did not appear in control of his actions, continuing to stare confoundedly down at the blonde as his fingers ran greedily down Cloud's thigh and gripped the skin ever-so-tightly.

The blonde could not prevent the whimper that escaped from his lips. "Sephiroth…"

Similarly to their previous encounter, the pleasure that he had awaited to receive was not granted to him, and was instead replaced with nothingness. The blonde returned his attention to Sephiroth, who had unexpectedly halted in his actions without explanation.

Cloud watched in confusion as the General's eyes turned cold and darkened, his expression transforming from that of passion into something similar to disbelief. Sephiroth's lips pierced tightly together as he harshly tore his hand away from the blonde's thigh and began stepping backwards.

All of the previous happiness disappeared, and the moment in which they had been embedded in quickly disappeared into the uncomfortable atmosphere. Cloud could merely shake his head and gaze across at the man, as Sephiroth picked up his things and uttered a final sentence to him.

"I have to go," he said, abruptly walking passed the blonde and storming towards the door.

Cloud did not have the heart to watch him leave, as his head dangled miserably towards the floor and began to pound mercilessly. What on earth had just happened?

Sephiroth forcefully pulled the door towards him, and momentarily paused for a second as he hovered in the doorway. The thought of saying something crossed his mind, and left just as quickly as it had appeared as he angrily grabbed onto the side of the door and slammed it shut. Cloud could feel the room shake from the force of Sephiroth's action, and closed his eyes as he used to in his childhood whenever an argument started.

The blonde wondered whether the tenderness of the moment had affected Sephiroth, and began to recall the conversation he'd shared with Zack that night. Was there a softer side of Sephiroth? Could the alcohol have destroyed his usual attitude and allowed him to reveal a raw state?

Whatever the reason, Sephiroth clearly had not been comfortable in the situation. It was now the second time that the two of them had been prevented from becoming intimate. Did this happen to all of the other victims Sephiroth played with? Or was it just the dumbfounded blonde?

The feel of the General's hands remained imprinted on his stomach, and Cloud sadly allowed himself to trace where Sephiroth had delicately touched him. All of the sadness returned to the blonde and engulfed him in misery and regret. What had bothered Sephiroth? Why had he acted in such an unusual way? What did Zack know about him that the blonde didn't?

The therapist had warned Cloud that Sephiroth would likely use him and leave him be. If that were the case, why had he pursued him twice, and prevented himself from having him? Cloud had to remind himself that Sephiroth was not easily understood, and still remained the selfish and sadistic individual that he knew all too well. There would be no simple answer to this.

Unfortunately, the answer that did come to Cloud's head was that it was entirely his fault, and all of the blame was placed on him for what had happened. The memory of Sephiroth's villainous expression continued to clutch at his mind, and send the blonde into a spiral of depression.

What was he doing wrong?

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**I hoped you all liked it! I didn't realise how long it was, until I went to edit it... woops.**

**Please, PLEASE review - the feedback is what keeps me writing this story, and I appreciate it so so much.**

**The next chapter will be a glimpse into Sephiroth's past...**


	5. Black Mirror

**Conflicting Characters**

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Thank you for your support with this, please continue reviewing! In this chapter, we get to revisit Sephiroth's past and understand why he's such a manipulative and cold bastard... and what are his plans for poor old Cloud? Apologies, it's a long chapter with huge bulks of information, but I feel it's all necessary. I had so much fun writing this, and look forward to 20 more chapters of this! :3

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Black Mirror

The first distinguishable memory Sephiroth could recognise was lying underneath a blanket and attempting to conceal his naked figure as doctors continued to poke and prod at his skin. Although he was only of a young age, he had still felt self conscious and immoral having himself exposed to groups of people at a time. It was something he had grown accustomed to, and knew nothing else other than the environment in which he would spend his entire childhood. There were no warm memories of childhood that others spoke of, where the days involved playing endlessly in the sun or snuggling closely with relatives on a cold winters eve. Those memories were only fabricated in his mind, and created so that he could live in denial with ease.

Sephiroth did not share his childhood experiences with most, and chose to feed lies to anyone who felt confident enough to enquire about his personal life. The memories he held were not shared with anyone he had encountered, or even remotely similar to others recollections of their childhood. It made him feel alienated, and unique in a way which did not comfort him. Although people envied him for his immense strength, and his cold and distant approach, it was something he would have happily lived without. Sephiroth yearned for nothing more than a life of serenity and utter content, but knew all too well that it was merely a fools dream, nothing more.

The majority of the doctor's now formed a singular blur in his memory; however there was one individual that refused to fade into nothingness, and to the current day haunted him. The man was not a doctor however, but calling him a scientist would be allowing too great of a title for such an unworthy specimen of a human being.

"I'm professor Hojo," the man had spoken to him all those years ago.

When Sephiroth had ignored his greeting, Hojo had turned to one of the doctors and displayed that unsavoury attitude which the General would soon become accustomed to. "What a boring personality," he had snickered, bobbing his head back and forth so that his fringe danced across his hideous face. "But fortunately, his personality's not what I'm interested in."

"The perfect Jenova specimen… after all this time."

Sephiroth had not previously heard the name 'Jenova' mentioned in front of him. It was a name that sent painful shivers across his spine, for a reason that he could not comprehend. Although he would soon come to learn that Jenova was in fact his mother… but even after that information was revealed, Sephiroth was still denied further information about her character. Why did she not come to visit him? Why had she allowed him to be here in the first place?

But one thing Sephiroth did know… was that he was different.

It was something he had learned about himself almost immediately, although there had been no actual evidence of this in his childhood. The environment in which he lived in, or more appropriately was caged in, was admittedly a give away. However, as Sephiroth had been born and bred in such an environment, it appeared unsuspicious to him. There was no other world outside of the laboratory, until he eventually become of age to join the Shinra Headquarters.

Sephiroth had originally struggled with social interaction; it was not something he had ever been taught about or influenced with. The General's previous conversations had been associated around his health, and were generally similar to such patterns as, "Are you feeling well?" In which he would respond as appropriate, and either watch as the doctor injected him a second time, or chose to leave him rest for a couple of hours. The doctor's genuinely appeared concerned about his health and wellbeing, although he quickly came to learn that this was due to selfish reasons.

If Sephiroth could take more needles and injections, then the doctor would continue to invade his body until the man eventually passed out. Although he was a teenager at the time, and would soon learn that fellow teenagers would have not been able to endure the level of treatment he did. Sephiroth spent years watching in bewilderment as fellow employees fell ill to the common cold and were forced to take time off work. But he never suffered with such illnesses.

When acquaintances had discussed their illnesses with him, Sephiroth had been intrigued by their symptoms and prized information out of them. When they discussed their medicines, he had tried desperately to compare them to his own, or what he believed to be medicine, and fell short each time. Sephiroth had once asked whether fellow colleagues had been injected, and they had informed him that blood tests were the only things that required them having needles poked and prodded into them.

The General had mentioned what he'd endured - the blue liquid constantly pumping into his skin, and the regular doses of injections that made him feel weary and mostly resulted in him falling unconscious. However, no other colleagues appeared to relate, and eventually he stopped talking about what had happened to him. Admittedly, after a few years of repressing the memories, he eventually became victim to depression and spent a further few years thinking about what had happened to him, and more importantly, what it all meant.

Sephiroth struggled to forget the image of being strapped in a hospital bed, allowing himself to eventually become numb and ignore the desire to struggle and escape. The doctor's which had come and gone, discussing him as if he were not present, and allowing themselves to handle him as they pleased. And then the image of Hojo, hovering over his figure and smirking to him, readjusting those spectacles as he analysed Sephiroth as if he were a rare species of animal.

Was that what Sephiroth was… an animal?

It also became evident that Sephiroth was far more intelligent than most, and the days he spent learning about the English Language and Military Tactic seemed worthless to him. The information would be fed to him, and without revision or revisiting the topic, Sephiroth would immediately understand each foundation of the topic. It sometimes appeared that the General grasped more about what he was being taught that the teacher themselves.

Sephiroth was also significantly stronger than everyone he encountered, and found it difficult to meet a worthy opponent in training or the battlefield. Initially, his superior talents caused his colleagues to bully him out of envy and jealousy, although that soon turned to fear, and almost immediately respect. The fellow employees realised that Sephiroth was physically able to destroy them, and to oppose him would be unwise. Unfortunately, it also made them distant, as they struggled to familiarise themselves with him and deemed him unusual, different and alien.

The spiral of depression and self-doubt it gave Sephiroth was short-lived, as the beginning of Sephiroth's teenage life would also become the start of his professional life. Although he was only thirteen and had been with Shinra a mere two years, Sephiroth found himself thrown into rigorous training and forced to dedicate each and every moment to becoming a Soldier.

Unbeknown to Sephiroth, well at least not entirely, he had been Shinra property since the moment he was born.

The day of his thirteenth birthday was spent in the training room, with his own personal trainer who referred to himself only as, "Snake." Sephiroth would discover in his later life that this nickname was as a result of the man's cold-attitude, and skill to worm himself out of every situation possible. The man was a legend, and an unbelievably skilled trainer. Sephiroth could not comprehend why he alone was allowed to be taught by this man, whilst his other colleagues of whom he had previously spent his training days with, were forced to continue studying.

"I am going to make you into a fucking machine," Snake would repeatedly tell him, staring into him with firm eyes that shook his entire body. "Nothing is more important than success, and being the best. You will have no time for anyone but yourself, and the battlefield, understand?"

Sephiroth would always nod in agreement at that statement, and initially believed it to be true.

However, complication would soon arrive in the young Sephiroth's life that would threaten to destroy his chance of becoming what Snake believed to be 'the best.' Although when it initially happened, the General did not see the complication as a threat, or as a complication at all.

It hadn't taken long for Sephiroth to join Soldier and become one of the legendary warriors that the newspaper so admirably talked about. There had been no initial assessment or test; Sephiroth had somehow just eased into the position, and without recognising it, became a Soldier. It was a moment that filled others with pride, but regrettably, it filled the general with absolutely no emotion whatsoever. Sephiroth had wanted to work his way to the top, and prove himself to be worthy of the position as all the others had done. With it having being given to him so easily, the whole title felt… worthless to him.

Throughout his entire life, Sephiroth had felt superior to others, and given up hope of meeting a worthy opponent. However, when he had first met all of the fellow members of Soldier and came to know them personally, it became evident that he was at last with people of a similar skillset.

Sephiroth had almost instantly became friendly with Angeal and Genesis, who were of a similar age to him and newly founded members of Soldier. The two also admitted that the process had been a simple one for them as well, and that they felt superior to the other members of Shinra. It filled Sephiroth with immense satisfaction, to be in the company of people he could relate to and be himself around. There was no longer a need to disguise his ability, and the three of them began training with one another constantly, almost succeeding in separating themselves from the rest of the bunch.

However, there was one man that did not approve of their new friendship circle, and did not attempt to conceal his dissatisfaction to an offended Sephiroth. "What the fuck are you doing?" Snake had snapped at him, bursting into his apartment without warning. "I've told you that being successful means putting yourself first. Do not allow yourself to become too friendly with them."

Sephiroth had desperately tried to follow Snake's orders, and had attempted to separate himself from the pair of them with as little hostility as possible. Fortunately, Genesis appreciated the General's method behind this, and gave him the space in which he requested. However, Angeal was not so easily convinced, and refused to allow Sephiroth to destroy their friendship. It should have been simple for the man to just firmly reconcile with Angeal, and explain his situation.

… But Angeal was different.

It was a truth that Sephiroth had never admitted to anyone in his entire life.

The first encounter between the two of them had left Sephiroth breathless and somewhat flustered, although he could not initially comprehend why. The General had convinced himself it was a one off reaction, and had approached Angeal a second time with confidence. However, the feeling did not appear to fade, and contrarily began to worsen with time, much to his disgust.

Sephiroth would be overwhelmed with butterflies in his presence, and analyse the man's every move until it became apparent that he was obsessing over their meetings. Although it took him much longer than he would have appreciated to understand the reason behind his behaviour. And once he did come to realise it, Sephiroth was in complete and utter turmoil.

"I'm in love with Angeal…" the General had muttered to himself at his reflection. Although his reflection could only imitate the movements he made, it was as if he were admitting not only to himself, but to the entire world.

Unfortunately for him, Angeal did not appear to return the affections, and viewed him merely as a friend and not as a romantic interest. Sephiroth never revealed his true feelings, and became convinced until the end that his friend had not realised his attraction. It did not interfere with their friendship because of this secrecy, and Angeal remained naive. There was only one time throughout their friendship that Sephiroth revealed his true feelings, although they were not recognised by Angeal himself, but by someone else. Someone that would change the course of Sephiroth's future, and make sure this type of interference never surfaced again.

It happened within a training session, where Sephiroth was against the entire army of Soldier, who desperately fought against him one by one, until slowly the numbers significantly decreased. There were only two opponents left, and much to Sephiroth's upset, it was the two people he wanted to defeat least: Angeal and Genesis. It became even more unbearable once Sephiroth realised it would be Angeal he faced last, grimacing as Genesis stepped before him.

The General had tried to be fair to his friend, but so desperately wanted to save his tactic until Angeal faced him in the training area. Genesis sighed and flailed his arms angrily as Sephiroth disarmed his weapon and left him defeated amongst all of the previous attempts. It was time for the General to face his final opponent, and Sephiroth was sure he had never felt so utterly reluctant to do anything in his entire life.

Initially, Sephiroth had confronted him with equal fervour, and quickly began to take control of their fight with little to no effort. However, Angeal was not in denial about his fate, and concluded that he would eventually be defeated by his friend. As a result, the man had reduced his efforts and simply allowed Sephiroth to slice at with him little retaliation. Once Sephiroth had recognised this and became overwhelmed with both guilt, and the desire to make his friend happy, he had intentionally reduced his own effort and allowed Angeal to overwhelm him

Sephiroth could not decide whether the look of surprise of Angeal's face was more obvious, or the look of surprise on Snake's face, who stared over at the fight in disbelief. In a matter of seconds, Angeal had disarmed the General, and been declared the winner. There had been a loud cheer of approval from the crowd of Soldier's, before Angeal had thrown himself forward to embrace his friend and pat him on the back.

"Thank you, Sephiroth…" he had whispered, unsure whether Sephiroth had allowed the defeat, or whether he had genuinely defeated him. Although either way, it made him immensely happy.

… And that's all Sephiroth could have wanted.

"What the FUCK was that all about?"

The crowd of people had eventually disappeared out of the training room, and left Sephiroth alone with his infuriated trainer. Although he had expected it, the General still felt himself tense at the sound of the man's tempered voice, which echoed mercilessly across the room.

"What do you mean?" he shrugged, attempting to appear as casual as humanely possible.

Snake was not patient enough to deal with games, and opted to grab the General by his collar and lift him towards his own reddening face. "You know exactly what I mean…" he growled, practically spitting in the man's face. "Why did you let him win?"

Sephiroth wormed his way out of the grip and chose to be dishonest. "I didn't let him."

The trainer was not fooled so easily, and slammed his fist against the wall. "WHY DID YOU LET HIM WIN, SEPHIROTH?"

The General realised he could not fool the man so easily, and diverted his gaze away from the intense glare in which he was being thrown. "I think you know the reason, you're a smart man."

And although Snake had been expecting his fears to be confirmed, he regardless released an explosive sigh and shook his head in disappointed. "Sephiroth…" he started, forcing himself to relax and address the man with an inch of humanity. "I am telling you this, and I need you to listen. This has to stop, now. It is going to ruin your prospects entirely."

Sephiroth went to interrupt, but was prevented from doing so.

"If things go to plan, you are going to be the General of this company, and you are going to be the best at what you do. No motherfucker will ever be able to compete with you, or replace you. But if you allow your emotions to override your senses, that will never be achievable."

"Do you want to be the General?" Snake asked him, although he was already aware of what the answer would be to such an obvious question.

Sephiroth nodded across at him, a look of passion amidst his expression. "Yes."

"Good," Snake breathed, eventually allowing himself to calm down. "Then this needs to stop. No more longing for Angeal, no more longing for anyone. Just you, Sephiroth."

Following that conversation, Sephiroth changed, and in the way in which Snake had wanted.

There was no longer any hope of claiming Angeal as his own, although Sephiroth longed for him months after swearing to leave their friendship be. The two continued to interact, and remained close to another on a professional level, but the closeness diminished. Along with that, the idea of claiming someone as his own romantically also faded, and Sephiroth became disgusted at the thought of relationships. It was a lost thought, and one in which he swore to never revisit.

However, Snake had never mentioned avoiding sexual relationships, and Sephiroth could not deny the frustration which eventually greeted him in his last teens. Similarly to most human beings with blood pumping through their veins, the General longed to fuck someone, and spent months in his apartment depicting twisted fantasies that would soon override him. The fantasies were no longer a want, but something he needed to keep him sane before he destroyed his own member as a result of violent masturbation. Sephiroth was changing in many ways indeed, ways in which Snake had not originally comprehended, and had no actual power to prevent.

The General knew that he did not desire women, and had come to terms with this shortly following his infatuation with Angeal. Women to Sephiroth were bones covered in useless organs that served the mere purpose of breeding. The General viewed breasts as lumps of fat that produced milk to feed children, and vaginas… well, to allow the children to leave the womb.

But men… men were different. The individual aspects of a man's body were beautiful to Sephiroth, and he longed to experience each individual aspect with both his mouth and cock. Although he did not approve of generalising his individuality, Sephiroth was quick to admit that he was a homosexual, and wanted sex with people of the same gender. Although that was all he wanted, and would ever give to people that were fortunate enough to experience him.

The first time Sephiroth fucked another man, he felt himself be overwhelmed with sadistic urges that evidently frightened the receiver. Sephiroth wanted to hit him, strangle him, bite him, do anything that would physically damage him. And he enjoyed receiving such brutal behaviour, although he was reluctant to reveal this to his sexual partners. Sephiroth wanted to be dominant and in control of the situation, allowing the other man to be utterly submissive and resultedly become his slave; to belong to him and worship him.

Although Sephiroth did not question the reasoning behind this, it was evident that such behaviour was due to his past experiences. The General yearned to have somebody, but as this could not be gained through relationships, it was instead gained through sex. If someone was lay beneath him and allowing him to sexually dominate them, he effectively owned them, as if they belonged to him. It also allowed him to be in control of the situation, which was something he was never granted in his childhood. The men would do as he pleased in order to satisfy him.

However, the sexual pain was as a result of wanting to feel… human. The pain reminded him that he was in fact normal, and he enjoyed the hurt it gave him, and others.

But unfortunately, not all of his sexual partners viewed their relationship in such a way, and became almost indefinitely infatuated with him as a result. Sephiroth would constantly have to erase people from his life, and make it evident that there was no further part of their relationship. Admittedly, he was a sadistic and sexual freak, who gained pleasure from hurting others. And hell, the sex was good, really fucking good, and he enjoyed to fuck people.

What was so wrong about that?

Apparently, it was sinful to do, as the counsellor he had been forced to visit had relayed to him.

"Why do you think you do this?" the man had asked, crossing his legs in a professional way, in an attempt to comfort him.

Sephiroth had merely snorted at him, and yearned to make the atmosphere as uncomfortable as possible. "Have you ever plunged yourself into another man's hole, counsellor?"

The advice in which Snake had presented to him all those months ago had eventually appeared relevant. Sephiroth had in fact become the General of the company, and his position was extremely important. There was not a single man that did not fear or respect him, even the President himself shook nervously at the sight of him. And this position was the exact reason he could continue to victimise male individuals within the company and use them for his own sexual desires.

However there were not many people who warmed to Sephiroth as a result of his behaviour. The majority of the company were terrified of him, or viewed him to be obnoxious and selfish. The other half had probably slept with him, and been left abused or miserable as a result.

There was one individual however, other than Angeal and Genesis, who refused to leave Sephiroth be and insisted on forcing a friendship between the two. The individual in question was Zack Fair, who had such an incredibly optimistic attitude that it prevented the General from destroying him with his negativity and villainous demeanour.

"Cheer up Seph, it could be worse," Zack would regularly say to him.

There was another significant reason that had made the two destined to become friends, and it wasn't something that Sephiroth would so easily admit. However, when two people share dark secrets and unravel their true identities, it is difficult to detach yourselves from one another and forget such an encounter. Zack was the only person that had seen a delicate side of the General since the encounter with Angeal, and Sephiroth trusted him with keeping that moment a secret… it had created a connection between them.

"I was born in Gongaga!" Zack had informed him, opting to reveal his past to the man and ramble on about his childhood, without considering Sephiroth's lack of care towards the matter. "We lived in a small house, my mom and dad and me, and it was a typical family life. I didn't think I could ever feel that again, until I met Aerith, and I realised that…"

But in the midst of that conversation, Sephiroth had began to feel an intense emotion, which tore through him merciless and made it impossible to listen to Zack's tale any further. It was an emotion he had ignored for years, and engulfed him in unexpected sadness. Sephiroth had repressed sadness for so long, that all of the tears he should have previously spilt instead came rushing out of him whilst Zack relived his childhood in front of him.

And without any explanation to his friend, or warning to either them, Sephiroth began to cry. The General threw his head into his hands and practically screamed out loud, bawling into his palms as Zack could only look on with confusion. It lasted for what seemed like hours, until Sephiroth eventually revealed his sodden face from his hands and began to laugh. But it wasn't a laugh of happiness, or relief, it was a twisted and sickening laugh that tore through Zack's body as if he were made entirely out of glass. It terrified him, and because of that, it was never mentioned again.

… It was the first time Sephiroth had ever cried.

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The night life of Midgar flickered before Sephiroth's eyes as he gazed emotionlessly out of the window and recalled what had happened only moment previous. It was heartless to have left the blonde standing aimlessly in the meeting room, even for the General, but he could hardly return and explain the situation to him. Even if the opportunity to do so was presented, Sephiroth would rather allow himself to spontaneously disappear from existence than admit his true feelings.

_"Sephiroth…"_

The General repeated that sentence in his head, and could still hear Cloud's tone of voice slip from his mouth as he did so. The sentence had been coated in passion, and almost overwhelmed Sephiroth with the intensity of it. Although he had encountered many similar employees, who had willingly offered themselves to him without a second thought, none had uttered his name with such affection as the blonde. It had both terrified and angered him.

Cloud reminded him of Angeal in his younger days; the two were both so positive, and innocent and undeniably attractive. However, it had been the way in which he'd uttered his name… Angeal had once addressed him in such a manner, although it had been in an entirely different situation.

The day that Sephiroth had allowed Angeal victory in the training room had not only been a significant moment for himself, but also Angeal. It was an enormous honour, to defeat the almighty Sephiroth and disarm his blade in battle. The General could still recall Angeal embracing him after his victory, and uttering a sentence to him coated in appreciation. "Thank you, Sephiroth…"

It reminded him of the way in which Cloud had desperately called his name, and thrusted against his body with an aching desire to be claimed and destroyed. Although as previously mentioned, Sephiroth had never managed to have Angeal it such a position, it regardless created a similarity between the two. It had been that similarity that had forced Sephiroth to leave Cloud immediately.

There was something about the blonde, fucking something that drove Sephiroth insane. He had recognised it since their first meeting following the mission, when the blonde had stared across at him longingly, draped in the bed sheets that concealed his body from the General. Fortunately, it hadn't taken long for Sephiroth to remove the clothing which concealed his prize, and reveal the twitching length between Cloud's legs.

… Sephiroth had wanted that in his mouth more than anything.

However, their sexual encounter had been interrupted, not once but twice. It filled Sephiroth with immense rage, to think that he had been prevented from claiming the blonde for his own. The more the General was denied his victim, the more he desired it, and the similarities between Cloud and Angeal made it all the more crippling. Although their similarities were small, there was still something about the blonde that made those previous emotions towards Angeal resurface. Sephiroth could not comprehend whether it was the blonde himself, or his want for the blonde.

The screen before him flashed in front of Sephiroth, and reminded him of his previous intentions, before he had managed to lose himself in his thoughts. Without further adu, Sephiroth unbelted his buckle from his jeans and impatiently pulled the fabric down to his knees. An image flashed before him, and in reality, it would have deemed him a pervert to be looking at this image. It was highly frowned upon to view company documents without appropriate permission, but Sephiroth did not want to explain his intentions to the president.

The General firmly grasped his cock between his hands, and began violently pumping himself as he stared at the image of Cloud Strife's company photo. It was enough to make him insufferably hard, and bite down on his lip in the process. The thought that he could have claimed the kid moments previous drove himself mad, as he pictured the opportunity of destroying the blonde's innocence and making the kid his victim.

"Please, I've never done this before…" echoed through his twisted mind, as he drove his hand across his length. "I want you to hurt me, I want you to fuck me, I want you inside of me."

Sephiroth released a strangled scream as he reached ecstasy and exploded across his laptop, and ironically, across the image of Cloud Strife. It made him snicker to himself as he stared across at his own emissions, plastered across the screen… if only it was the real thing.

As Sephiroth shut the laptop screen, and shamelessly cleaned himself up, he promised himself that he would achieve one thing before the end of the month.

"I will have you, Cloud Strife."

* * *

**Another long chapter, did you like it? Please let me know what you thought!**

**Now we have some understanding towards Sephiroth's character... but poor, poor Cloud.**

**Review! Review! I shall release the next chapter soon... **


	6. Farewell to Innocence

**Conflicting Characters**

* * *

_Thank you for the continued support! Took longer than I would have liked to update this, was struggling, so please forgive me if it seems badly written._

* * *

Farewell to Innocence

The sunlight pierced through the blinds and diminished the shadow which had occupied the room for hours upon hours, undisturbed until now. It was not a welcome sight for the figure buried beneath the bedsheets, who had unintentionally allowed himself to stare up at the darkness and deny himself the release in which sleep would offer him.

"It's morning…" came from the bed-sheets, breaking the seemingly never ending silence.

There had been not a single recognisable sound stirring from Cloud Strife's room bar the demanding alarm clock ringing beside him. The blonde groaned defeatedly to himself, and proceeded to smash his fist against the device, in order to turn it off. It seemed to work, although the blonde wondered whether he had managed to break it; agreeing that it didn't particularly concern him either way. Cloud reluctantly returned to his previous position on the bed and continued to stare lifelessly up at the ceiling, which was something he had found himself doing night after night, without choice.

… It had been three weeks.

Cloud felt his heart stretch at the mere thought of Sephiroth, and closed his eyes in an attempt to imagine something else. It was no use however, and the blonde helplessly continued to revisit the sight of the General standing opposite him, after having only minutes previous been exploring Cloud's body and making the blonde experience the rare feeling of pleasure.

What on earth had spurred Sephiroth to halt in his actions?

Although Cloud could not comprehend the mistake he had made, regardless he still continued to blame himself for what happened. Sephiroth had looked utterly stunned, as if Cloud had drawn out his sword and plunged it straight into his stomach. Those striking eyes had sprung from their sockets, and the Generals mouth had dangled open helplessly. Sephiroth had displayed a vulnerability that the blonde had neither been expecting, or would have imagined was possible.

The blonde had been denied Sephiroth two times at this point, and wondered whether it simply was not meant to be. Although the General appeared keen to see him, and to do unspeakable things to him, it appeared that destiny had different ideas entirely. Cloud felt on the verge of tears, but found himself unable to release a single drop upon his cheek.

The pain he felt was excruciating, and unlike anything he had endured in the past. Although the blonde had been miserable for months, nothing compared to the heart-wrenching emptiness that he suffered with as a result of his encounter with Sephiroth. The blonde had promised both himself and Zack that he wouldn't allow himself to become attached. But Cloud had known deep down all along that his promise had been untruthful.

"I was attached from the first moment I met him."

The blonde had held a false hope of Sephiroth contacting him after what had happened. Cloud had forced himself to believe this, in order to avoid the inevitable feeling of hurt. However, the General had not once attempted to reach him, despite now having his phone number. It had eventually dawned on Cloud that this was the end of their little game, and he would never have the opportunity to have the man he so desperately desired.

When had Cloud become so reliant on someone else?

Cloud had never been sexually minded, or romantic, but now all he could wish for was to have Sephiroth as his own, to touch him and have his innocence taken from him. The blonde had come so close to experiencing Sephiroth, and imagined no other could compare to those lips or intruding hands, that had snaked across his body and made him weak at the knees.

"What the hell is happening to me…" he whispered.

The blonde accepted that there were likely many others in a similar situation to him, who had been used by Sephiroth and left feeling without a purpose. Cloud was one of many, and that had to be one of the sole reasons for the General's absence… Sephiroth was presumably moving his attention to someone else.

Unfortunately, Cloud's state of mind was not the only thing damaged as a result of Sephiroth. The blonde had been unable to attend work and continued to let the company down, which brought immense risk to his position. Cloud simply could not face the thought of struggling out of bed, and participating in training, where he would have to force himself to smile and interact with others. The sadness was making him physically ill.

The blonde's friends had attempted to pull him out of bed, and convince him to attend work. However, their efforts were wasted, as Cloud could only think of one reason at that point in time that would motivate him to leave his room, and he doubted such an opportunity would be presented to him. Regardless, his friends continued to try and convince him, naive to the fact that the blonde would continue to reject their help until they eventually lost all hope.

"Open this door Cloud Strife!"

The blonde groaned, and awaited the usual plead that would be presented to him. However, unlike the previous attempts, the person did not convince him to leave. Apparently they had entirely given up on conversation, and instead opted to smash their fist impatiently against the door until the sound began to drive the blonde positively insane.

Cloud groaned in defeat, and peeled himself out of the bedsheets, wearing nothing but his boxers as he walked towards the door and opened it. The blonde went to whine at the intruder for their lack of concern for his eardrums, but became halted in his tracks as the person in question smiled victoriously across at him.

"Zack…" the blonde whispered, allowing the man to enter his room without question.

Cloud quickly blushed at he recognised his friends attention rest on the bottom half of his figure. The blonde threw his hands across his boxers, and stumbled across to his bed, where he picked up his dressing gown and draped it around his exposed body.

"I'm assuming you didn't come here to sleep with me?" Cloud asked him.

The man quickly threw his attention elsewhere. "Sorry kiddo, I wasn't expecting your junk to be presented to me like that."

"I wasn't expecting you to stare at it either!" the blonde laughed, poking his tongue out at him.

Zack picked up one of the closest pillows and proceeded to throw it at Cloud.

"Get some clothes on," he snorted, pointing to the blonde's neglected wardrobe. "We're both going to work together, and I'm not being seen with you so exposed!"

* * *

Although Cloud had been adamant to remain in his room, it appeared that Zack's persistent attitude could not be ignored. The blonde had found himself sat at the canteen table, staring lifelessly across at his bowl of cereal as his friend shamelessly hoovered his own bowl into his mouth.

"Hungry, are we?" the blonde teased, noticing how the man's chin was covered in milk.

Zack lifted an eyebrow in response to his comment. "Apparently more so than you!" he replied, pointing across as the blonde's cereal, which remained untouched.

Cloud lowered his eyes and mumbled across at him. "I'm not hungry…"

An uncomfortable silence tore at the atmosphere as the Soldier pondered whether to question the blonde about his sudden absence from work. There were many concerns relating to Cloud, which had tormented him for months, although he chose not to reveal this to his friend. Zack feared it was not his place to intervene, and imagined it would upset the blonde to discuss.

Cloud looked as if he was deteriorating; the man had hoped it would improve overtime; however, the blonde continued to rapidly lose weight, and his once smiling face had been replaced with a darkness that could not be explained. It had been months since Cloud had appeared genuinely happy, and the Soldier wondered whether that side of the blonde would ever return.

There was one thing however, that Zack presumed was adding to the blonde's evident unhappiness. It was fortunately something he did not feel uncomfortable prying about.

"Did something happen with Sephiroth?" he asked, watching as the blonde's face dropped at the mere mention of the man's name.

Cloud shook his head, smiling sadly across at him. "Nothing happened, that's the problem."

The blonde reached his hand towards the table, picking up his spoon and placing it delicately into the bowl with all the energy he could muster. Zack felt himself perk up, relieved that his friend was at least allowing himself to consume food. However, the relief was abruptly replaced with disappointment, as he watched Cloud swirl the cereal around the bowel with the spoon, choosing to play with it rather than eat it.

Zack sighed across at him, resting his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have got so hammered," he said, regretting leaving the blonde free to meet Sephiroth.

Cloud laughed at him, and quickly destroyed any guilty his friend may have felt. "It's not your fault," he told him, amused as the man's usual seriousness. "I would have gone either way."

The Soldier looked genuinely offended at that. "I told you to be careful, kiddo."

A silence tore at the atmosphere as the blonde bowed his head in guilt, and Zack mentally continued to curse himself for allowing something to happen between them. Although he could not comprehend what Cloud had been inclining, and felt the desire to find out more.

"Wait, what do you mean nothing happened?" he asked.

The blonde shook his head in response, unable to comprehend the situation himself. "I'm not entirely sure," he answered, his voice coated in immense sadness. "We were about to do something, and suddenly Sephiroth frozen and just… left me."

Zack was temporarily stunned into silence; that certainly had not been expected. It was highly unusual for Sephiroth to leave his prize before claiming it. There had been a few instances previously where people had discussed their encounters with Sephiroth, similar to Cloud's; however, none of them had been left empty handed. The General always used them for his own sexual desires, and then left them be once he was satisfied.

"Did something happen to make him leave?" he asked, desperately trying to understand the situation.

"Not that I'm aware of," Cloud shrugged, beginning to feel disheartened as the two revisited what had happened three weeks previous. "All of a sudden, he just stopped, no warning."

Unfortunately, Zack did not appear willing to leave the subject be, and continued to probe the blonde for answers which he himself did not possess. Cloud abruptly interrupted him, and attempted to turn the attention back towards his friend. It was unusual, for the blonde to be enquiring about the man's personal life, but out of sheer desperation, he finally allowed himself to.

"Is there anyone you like?" he smiled, winking across at the man.

Zack almost sprayed his drink at him. "Why are you asking that?" he snorted.

The blonde feared he would suss him out, and frantically attempted to make his question seem out of genuine curiosity, although in reality he didn't particularly care to know.

"We've been talking about me loads," he pointed out, watching as the man fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. "Cmon, do you have someone you're interested in?"

Cloud rarely witnessed his friend become uncomfortable; the man loved to talk, and could spend hours reeling off everything that had happened in his life. However, for the first time, Zack genuinely appeared reluctant to educate the blonde. Was it a sore subject for him?

"Not really," he finally replied, although the expression on his face hinted otherwise.

The blonde watched as his friend tilted his head towards the side of them, and gazed lifelessly across at the wall, evidently in deep thought. Cloud recognised his unusually sad expression, and felt his heart weaken at the sound of Zack sighing to himself. Throughout their entire friendship, the blonde had never witnessed anything but a smile across his face. It was definitely out of character, and after a few seconds, it appeared Zack abruptly noticed this himself.

"Nah, I don't like anyone!" he cried, forcing a grin across his face.

Cloud frowned at him, questioning whether the response was truthful. "But you said not really, so that must mean you do like someone, at least a little?"

Although the blonde had initially been disinterested, he now feel eager to discover the answer.

The grin slowly slipped from Zack's face, as he allowed himself to express his true emotions, and stared intensely into the blonde's eyes. "Maybe I'll tell you one day."

Cloud went to protest due to his impatience, but was prevented from doing so as Zack flew out of his seat and held out a hand to him. "Let's go, Cloud."

The Soldier pulled the blonde by the arm and began abruptly hauling him towards their destination. Cloud was entirely dumbfounded as to why his friend was practically helping him to lesson. Unfortunately for him, Zack did not chose to enlighten him, and continued pulling him down the hallway. The blonde could only assume that the man was desperately trying to avoid further discussion in regards to his personal feelings, and chose to respect his friends wishes.

"I'm not late am I?" Cloud groaned, disheartened at the thought of receiving a lecture

Zack smiled flirtatiously at him. "Quite the contrary kiddo," he said, halting outside of the classroom door, before proceeding to open it. "We're early; would I ever make you late?"

The blonde noticed his teacher perched in the corner of the room, staring across at him as if he were a rare species of animal. Cloud presumed this was due to his recent absence, and avoided eye-contact wherever possible, reluctant to explain the reasoning behind his apparent illness. The two men took their seats, and the blonde remained oblivious as to why his friend was present. It concerned him; what if they had asked Zack to follow him around?

"Although I appreciate your company," he laughed, frowning across at his friend. "I'm still confused as to why you're here. Do I need to hold your hand or anything?"

Zack playfully punched him, and interrupted the teacher, who had attempted to answer the question himself. "I'm here for morale support!" he announced happily. "Do you remember when you first joined the company, you signed up for an opportunity to present to Director Lazard?"

The blonde desperately wracked his brain for an inclination of the memory, but found himself unable to visualise ever signing up to such a thing. Cloud gloomily shook his head, and apologised to his friend, although it was entirely unnecessary. The past few months had been somewhat a blur to him, and Cloud had found himself struggling to recall experiences from when he had first joined the company. It both saddened and concerned him; how was he able to forget memories from only months previous, but found it easy to recall each and every detail of his encounters with Sephiroth?

… Sephiroth.

"Is Sephiroth going to be here?!" Cloud cried, flapping his arms frantically in the air.

The blonde quickly realised how embarrassingly obvious he was being, and pulled his arms back towards his sides as abruptly as he'd removed them. Although he did not regularly allow himself to become paranoid of being judged, Cloud found himself blushing angrily and forced himself into silence. The conversation halted momentarily, as the blonde watched his teacher stare over at him with a sudden interest at the mention of the General. Zack quickly recognised this, and immediately forced himself to respond, in order to bring the discussion to an end.

"Nah don't worry," he said, rolling his eyes as he uttered the second sentence. "Sephiroth doesn't concern himself with things he deems unnecessary."

The blonde went to question Zack's statement, and felt somewhat offended by the General's lack of empathy or consideration for members of the company in Cloud's position… but fell silent as a voice appeared from behind them and prevented the sentence from leaving his lips.

"How would you know what I deem unnecessary?"

Cloud did not immediately comprehend what was happening, and dumbfoundedly turned to his friend, ignoring the figure which had entered the room unannounced. However, it did not take much longer for the blonde to acknowledge the man, as he followed Zack's gaze rest upon an all too familiar figure. The sight greeted to him sent the blonde into a spiral of nausea.

"Sephiroth," the Soldier nodded at him, abruptly changing his previous venomous tone of voice.

The General sat himself opposite the pair and returned the greeting. "Zack."

The blonde felt himself swallow the enormous lump in his throat, as those piercing eyes diverted their attention away from the Soldier and rested upon his frozen figure.

Sephiroth's tone was coated in playfulness. "Cloud Strife."

The blonde went to respond, and found himself releasing not words, but whimpers. Although he had been in Sephiroth's presence previously, it had never been in a situation such as this. Cloud found himself unable to function as a result of those eyes boring into him; the closeness was positively suffocating him. The two of them had only ever met with sexual intention, and now he was facing the object of his desires, in a work environment, after weeks without seeing him.

"Say something…" Cloud muttered in his head.

The General ran a hand through his silver hair, and snickered to himself as he recognised the blonde begin to shake against the table. Cloud desperately tried to mask his nervous state, proceeding to pick up the glass before him and take a drink, as to appear casual, as to create somewhat of a distraction. However, his efforts were wasted, as he felt the water trickle down onto his skin as the shuddering of his hand caused the contents to spill.

Zack glared across at Sephiroth, placing a comforting hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Yes we get it you're big and mysterious," he joked, although the blonde could sense the temper in his voice.

The General looked across at Zack, and then at the blonde, forcing a look of innocence upon his face as he responded to the taunt. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

Cloud struggled to follow their conversation as he continued to stare down at his hand, listening more closely to the sound of his heartbeat. The longer he continued to avoid Sephiroth's presence, the harder it became to force himself to act somewhat composed. What on earth was he doing?

Although the General intimidated him at that current moment in time, Cloud could not prevent himself from revisiting their previous encounter, and picturing how the man had looked. Where had that vulnerability gone now? Was Sephiroth going to neglect that it ever happened?

"I'm so sorry, Sephiroth!"

The blonde finally allowed himself to retreat from his thoughts at the mention of the General's name. All three of the men diverted their attention to the teacher, who had bowed his head apologetically without warning. Sephiroth appeared irritated at the interruption, and demanded that the man explain himself; the blonde could only watch on in bemusement, never having witnessed his teacher display such weakness before.

"The lesson today is cancelled," he apologised, wincing as Sephiroth's expression twisted.

The General practically spat his response at the man. "What do you mean, cancelled?"

Zack shook his head, and addressed the General personally. "Calm down Seph," he sighed, although used to the man's impatience. "Who cares if it's cancelled?"

"I'm so sorry General," the teacher repeated. "I have just received an email from the Director, advising that he will not be attending today."

Sephiroth rose out of his chair, slamming the back of it against the table. "That does not surprise me at all, the director leaving it till the last minute to cancel."

The man quickly added another sentence. "... I don't have time to waste like this."

Cloud was powerless to recognise the emotion that was brought upon him as he watched the General overreact and leak his arrogance onto the reluctant teacher. The blonde knew he was selfish, and undeniably short fused, and in any other circumstance would have deemed him a terrible human being. But it was Sephiroth, and regardless of his behaviour, the blonde could not bring himself to look down upon him. Instead, he continued to gawp across at him, dumbfounded.

"I didn't expect you to attend," the teacher admitted, desperately trying to pull excuses from the deepest corners of his mind. "It's not like you, why did you decide to come?"

Cloud expected the General to respond sarcastically, or scold the man for daring to intrude on his personal decisions. However, Sephiroth did no such thing, and much to the blonde's astoundment, he instead turned towards him, and did not attempt to conceal the target of his attention.

The General addressed the blonde, in addition to the teacher. "I have no idea."

With that, Sephiroth departed the room, and left the three of them in unbearable silence.

The blonde cautiously turned to Zack, anticipating the man to return the look of confusion amidst his own face, but was merely greeted with an expression of disbelief. Cloud went to speak, but promptly prevented himself from doing so as he questioned whether he had misread what he believed to be a 'message' from the General.

Why had Sephiroth turned to him as he'd uttered his final silence? Cloud's assumption was immediately shadowed in doubt, but he couldn't help but wonder whether the General had been hinting at something. It seemed bizarre to imagine that the man would so evidently admit that he had attended to torture the blonde. Such behaviour was out of character, and did not make any sense to him. However, there was no other explanation as to why Sephiroth had addressed him.

"Well then…" the teacher perked up, desperately attempting to regain his composure. "Now that's finished with, could we please discuss your recent absence Strife?"

Cloud groaned across at the man, throwing his head into his hands. "I'm sorry, sir…"

The blonde wanted nothing less than to spurt spontaneous lies at his teacher, although it was certainly less unbearable than having to admit the truth to him. However, his recent absence would be something he'd be forced to discuss with his counsellor, and Cloud was not prepared to have the same conversation twice. The blonde's mind was too shaken from Sephiroth, and quite frankly it was none of the teacher's damn business.

Cloud quickly aimed to avoid offering an answer to him. "Is there anything I can do? Some tasks for the company, to make up for being ill?"

The teacher's eyes flashed at the offer, and quickly proceeded to take the opportunity to use the blonde to run his own errands. "There is something, now you mention it."

"What's that then?" Cloud asked reluctantly, beginning to regret his decision.

The man picked up an envelope on his desk, and held it out to the blonde, summoning him to leave his chair and collect it. Cloud did as he was expected to, walking up the man and snatching it from his hands, awaiting an explanation of the task.

"Who is it for?" he asked, failing to recognise a name on the envelope.

The teacher sighed explosively in his response. "Sephiroth."

Cloud felt his entire stomach seize up, and did not prevent to conceal the look of horror amidst his face. The teacher mistook this to be caused by Sephiroth's previous outburst, and laughed at him, attempting to calm his worries. "It's an invitation to the next session," he informed him. "As this one had to be cancelled, I'll invite him to the next one. I would have given it him, but…"

Zack finished the sentence for him. "Sephiroth's an insufferable man at times."

The teacher nodded. "Yes, that's the one."

Cloud continued to stare sadly down at the envelope, almost urging the thing to disappear from existence and relieve him from the task. However, the blonde knew all too well that luck was a rare occurrence in his life, and nodded across at his teacher, accepting the task.

"When do you want me to send it by?" he asked.

The teacher continued to stare down at his screen, disinterested in engaging with the blonde any further. "Now, if possible," he replied. "Sephiroth should be returning to his apartment, give it to him and send my apologies."

Cloud wanted to tell him to send his own apologies, and shove the envelope up his…

"Alright then," he reluctantly agreed, throwing a gloomy look towards Zack, before proceeding to follow the General's previous actions and leave the room.

The Soldier followed him out of the room, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Why you would ever ask to help out is beyond me!" he joked, feeling entirely sympathetic for his friend.

Cloud ignored the man's taunts, and proceeded to ask a question that had been lurking in his head since entering the classroom. "What is this presentation about?" he said, recalling that the man had mentioned presenting to Director Lazard.

"It's a chance for all of you rookies to impress him," Zack informed him, astounded that the blonde could not remember signing up for it. "When you first started, you would have signed up for it and outlined why you wanted to present to him. It's a chance for you to make yourself known to him, and all members of Soldier - have you not planned for this?"

The blonde groaned, at last recalling the day in which his teacher had suggested it to him, and of course he had undoubtedly offered. Cloud had originally been motivated and optimistic, especially throughout the beginning of his contract. If he had been offered the chance to lick the Director's toilet seat in order to impress him, he would have done.

Fuck… Where had that side of him gone?

"So, I have one night to prepare?" he asked, although rhetorically, knowing full well what the answer would be to the question.

As predicted, Zack nodded sympathetically, and rolled his eyes at his friends stupidity.

Cloud playfully punched him, and began to offer his apologies, reluctant to put off his task any further and risk upsetting Sephiroth, or worse, himself. The blonde could not risk allowing himself to become a nervous wreck, and yearned to dispose of the envelope as soon as possible. Although he imagined it would not be as simple of a task as he assumed, that is, if Sephiroth had his way of course. But, what were the General's thought on him, after what had happened?

The Soldier went to follow him, offering to accompany him, but Cloud did not want to burden his friendly any further. "I'll be fine Zack," he told him, throwing him an appreciative smile. "I will literally go into his apartment, and come back out again."

The man did not look entirely convinced.

"Hey, I'm not a sexual predator!" the blonde called to him, waving manically at his friend as he began to depart down the hallway.

Zack shouted back at him, causing a few suspicious glances to be thrown his way. "It's not you I'm worried about, kiddo!"

* * *

The blonde had found himself stood gormlessly in front of Sephiroth's apartment door for at least ten minutes now. Although all it took was to open the door, take a deep breath in and face his anxiety, Cloud found himself helplessly staring at the handle, urging himself to open it.

… "Sephiroth's going to be behind that door."

Cloud had rehearsed his sentence a thousand times, although neither attempts appeared entirely convincing. Although he was not yet faced with the General, the blonde still found himself shaking at the mere thought of him, and as a result, his sentences became broken. The envelope remained in his hand, slowly becoming all the more crumpled as he clenched his fist and ordered himself to simply knock the door.

"Just do it," he whispered, raising his free fist towards the wood and tapping it ever so gently.

There was not an opportunity to await Sephiroth's permission to enter, as the blonde watched the door open by itself and reveal the General's apart to him. Apparently, the door had not been closed, and the force of the blonde's fists had urged it open. Cloud exhaled heavily, and paused in his actions momentarily, ensuring that Sephiroth did not appear from the shadows and demand an explanation. However, much to his surprise, there was no appearance from the man, and the blonde became relieved in the hope that Sephiroth was not at home.

"Just go in, put the letter down, and leave."

The blonde inched reluctantly into the hallway, and closed the door behind him, intentionally preventing it from making a noise. There was an uncomfortable silence amidst the apartment, which the blonde imagined was due to Sephiroth's absence. Cloud at last allowed himself to walk down the hallway, convinced that he was undeniably alone, and cast his eyes against the kitchen. The letter could be placed in there within a matter of seconds, and following that the blonde could abruptly leave and end his nervousness.

Cloud stepped into the kitchen, and immediately recognised how spotless it was. The blonde knew that Sephiroth was controlling when it came to sexual relationships, but had not deemed him to be this obsessive when it came to organisation. It took him a few seconds to comprehend that he was now in fact in the apartment of the man of his desires, without invitation. Sephiroth ate, slept and worked in here; the thought of it made him tremble a little.

How many people had actually been allowed entry into this place?

The blonde went to place the envelope on the side, granting himself to stare at it one last time. Although he felt somewhat relieved by the situation, Cloud had hoped somewhere in his heart that he would have encountered the General, and had the courage to discuss what had happened to them three weeks ago. But the blonde knew he did not possess the bravery for that, and would have likely avoided discussing it at all costs.

Cloud smiled sadly to himself, and conclude that it would be best this way, regardless of whether it was a rare opportunity, encountering the General alone, in his apartment.

The blonde raised his hand to the side, forcing himself to stop overthinking it… but became frozen in his actions.

Cloud released a loud squeal, his body tensing in shock as he felt something wrap around his stomach and pull him in tightly without warning. As his widened eyes stared down in disbelief, he recognised that 'something' to be two arms, enveloped around his figure. The blonde went to struggle in the strangers grasp, but felt himself locked in the position, unable to escape.

There came a low snicker behind him. "... Cloud Strife."

The blonde initially gasped, but was prevented from creating further noise by a forceful hand that had proceeded to cover his lips. Cloud swivelled his eyes to the side, and noticed a collection of silver hairs resting against his shoulder. It did not take long for him to recognise who the intruder was, and once it became evident, the blonde began to tremble against the man's grip.

Sephiroth continued to hold the blonde in his arms, standing behind him and lowering his lips towards the reddened ear. "You came," he whispered, smirking as he watched the blonde buck his hips in response, overwhelmed by the feel of the General's lips against his skin.

Cloud was finally given permission to speak, as the hand that had clasped around his mouth lowered towards his neck, and tilted his face towards the General. "I came to deliver…"

The envelope in his hands fell to the ground, as Cloud became unable to contain his grip on the material. Sephiroth's touch was too much, his voice, his lips… the blonde's body weakened and allowed the envelope to simply slip from his hands, which had become limp and useless.

"I thought I would have to summon you here," Sephiroth whispered, intentionally brushing his lips against the blonde's ear as he spoke. "But it would appear you came of your own accord."

Cloud stared hazily up at the ceiling, his cheeks blushing as he urged himself to respond.

It was useless though; Sephiroth was all too much to him. The hand around his neck tightened, and lifted the blonde's face towards the General. Sephiroth smiled against him, and began rolling his tongue up towards his ear, tightening his grip as the blonde fidgeted and squirmed.

The General began to kiss his neck passionately, allowing his other hand to slip through the blonde's shirt and grab at his stomach animalistically. Cloud moaned in response, biting his lip as Sephiroth whispered filthy sentences into his ear, and continued to explore him.

"I am going to have you, Cloud Strife," the General told him, loosening his grip from the blonde, who practically fell against the ground, unable to hold himself up.

Cloud clumsily pulled himself upwards, and brushed himself down, staring into the General's soulless eyes as he struggled with a response. "... To have me?"

Sephiroth grabbed at his collar, and violently pulled him towards him. "Yes," he growled, allowing his eyes to trail up the blonde's figure, gnarling his teeth in sheer sexual deprivation. "Is that something you want?"

Although the blonde had promised Zack he would be careful, and realistically knew it was all a bad idea, he found himself nodding in response, unable to form a sentence.

"Good," Sephiroth grinned, turning himself away from the blonde and heading towards a room that was currently closed. "Follow me," he ordered.

Cloud did as he was commanded, trailing behind the General as he frantically began questioning the current situation. What was Sephiroth planning to do with him? Was this going to be the moment he finally lost his innocence?

The blonde refused to make assumptions, and followed Sephiroth into the bedroom, quickly taking in his surroundings, before perching dumbfoundedly on the bed. Sephiroth did not initially approach him, and instead proceeded to peel off his shirt, which gave the blonde opportunity to admire his exposed stomach. It was an indescribable sight… utterly inhuman.

Cloud desperately attempted to make conversation, but fell short each time. The only sound amidst the room was his heavy breathing, which he became helpless to control. Sephiroth continued to stroll around the room, unaffected by the current situation and remaining casual throughout. The contrast in their behaviour concerned the blonde; why did he act this way around him?

After what seemed like a lifetime, Sephiroth at last turned to the blonde, who continued to sit sheepishly on the bed, and stare innocently across him. However, the General did not proceed to join him, or indulge in conversation. Instead, he stared down at the blonde's clothing, and remained stood before him at the end of the bed.

"Take your jacket off."

Cloud gawped at him in disbelief, and stared down at himself, wondering whether he had heard the sentence right. However, it appeared he had, as Sephiroth irritatedly repeated the command, evidently begin to lose patience.

"Take your jacket off," he demanded.

The blonde giggled nervously, and found himself retaliating to the man. "I hate it when you order me around," he stuttered, refusing to give the General eye-contact.

Sephiroth's response was immediate and stern. "Liar."

The blonde's eyes widened at the statement, although he agreed it to be true. Cloud admittedly felt weak and victimised by Sephiroth's orders, and felt like dirt in this situation. However, he could not deny that he enjoyed being controlled by such a human being. For whatever reason, it satisfied him, and excited him, in a way in which he was not familiar with.

But Cloud had felt embarrassed to follow such a command, which had resulted in him responding in such a way. Reluctantly, due to nerves, the blonde peeled off his jacket and revealed a baggy t-shirt, which hung loosely against his skinny figure.

Sephiroth continued to remain in the same position, glaring across at the blonde.

"Come here," he ordered, his tone heartless and expression utterly empty.

The blonde raised himself off of the bed, and temporarily remained frozen, looking across at Sephiroth hesitantly, too anxious to approach him. However, Cloud could not remain there for long, as it was already too late at this point. The blonde knew that this was going to happen whether he was ready for it or not, and although his nerves made him consider turning round and exiting the apartment, his desire for Sephiroth overpowered him.

Shakingly, the blonde approached the General, and asked himself one final question.

… How had he allowed this to happen?

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**Sorry for the delay in updating! Hope you enjoyed - please, please review :(**

**Should I go into their first time in detail? ;)**


	7. Diminished Flower

**Conflicting Characters**

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_I've realised how much my characters resembles Christian Grey in 50 Shades, and I hate that book, but this is based lightly off of my own experience. Here comes the sex… ;)_

_I apologise for the delayed update, for whatever reason I really struggled with this, and have been incredibly ill; but without further ado, please enjoy!_

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Diminished Flower

There was not an inclination of hope remaining for the blonde, as he reluctantly faced the situation presented to him and found himself position directly in front of the man who was inevitably about to destroy his remaining shred of innocence. The intensity of the moment tore at him relentlessly, and filled Cloud with an overwhelming sense of regret; although his heart ached to claim Sephiroth as his own. It was the first time in his entire existence that the blonde had found himself unable to make a conscious decision; was he prepared for the situation at hand, and more importantly, did he genuinely feel ready to offer himself entirely to someone? Regardless of the answer he would be presented with, it was already much too late to turn back, and as the General glared down at him with impatient eyes, the blonde confirmed his fate for the last time.

The situation had escalated ridiculously; Cloud struggled to comprehend that he was currently in Sephiroth's apartment, and most importantly, in his bedroom.

Sephiroth remained unnerved throughout and merely watched in amusement as the blonde approached him unsurely and gazed up at him with an innocent expression. The vulnerability washed across Cloud's face sent the General into frenzy; he loved nothing more than to dominate and manipulate his victim. Although he had slept with a generous number of people, Sephiroth had not previously encountered anyone quite as 'innocent' as the blonde. There had been many nervous people stood before him, reluctant to make the first move; however, none had ever appeared as delicate and breakable. It both fascinated him and heightened his want to be the first to experience the blonde. The fact that no man had before experienced Cloud made him all the more desperate to claim him as his own.

The General leaned forward and clasped his hands against the blonde's golden hair with an aching impatience. Initially, he proceeded to force Cloud's face towards his own and waste no further time teasing him. However, without intention, Sephiroth found himself running his fingers delicately against the blonde's cheek as he became unwillingly lost in the man's eyes. The two blue orbs before him were positively glowing, and held much greater emotion that fear and desire… there was something else hidden in them.

Sephiroth became frozen to the spot, as he involuntarily gazed into the blonde's eyes and became overwhelmed by their intensity. It was as if he were gazing directly into Cloud's soul, and although he prided himself on being able to read others, there had never been such raw honesty presented to him. The General watched in awe as Cloud's eyes burned with a passion that could not be blamed on lust or sexual satisfaction…

... The blonde looked at him as if he were utterly and irrevocably in love.

It was the same look he had once given Angeal and had long forgotten over the past few months. Sephiroth's previous sexual partners had undoubtedly been obsessed and infatuated with him; however this was something entirely new. The General returned the blonde's intense stare and could recognise that same passion he himself had once held. All of the previous emotions he had felt with Angeal came rushing back, and filled the man with deep concern. What on earth was Cloud Strife thinking? Why did he look at him like that, despite the monster he was?

"Is something wrong?"

Sephiroth's eyes violently sprung open and stared dumbfounded at the figure before him.

Although the General remained shaken, and failed to comprehend the blonde's motives, there was no further time to delay the inevitable. The look of adoration amidst Cloud's eyes made him positively sick, and he yearned to destroy the love of which the blonde was displaying to him. The feelings Cloud portrayed brought back too many memories, and too much questioning, which he would rather forget. It was the first time any sexual partner had made him pause in his actions, and the General loathed that he had been distracted by such a thing.

Sephiroth abruptly recalled his original motive and snatched the blonde's hair between his fingers, forcing their faces together as he had initially planned to do. Although Cloud was taken aback by the action, he complied with it regardless and paused before the General's lips. The blonde would have to question the reason for Sephiroth's unusual display of affection at a later time; there was evidently no room for thought as the General pressed their lips together and caused the blonde to release a moan against his mouth.

Cloud was unable to catch his breath, as he felt Sephiroth's lips enclose around his and cause the entire world to temporarily stop around them. There were excruciating butterflies in his stomach, which were no longer as a result of nerves. The blonde was over excited, and felt his entire body ache to be claimed by the General. Sephiroth brushed his tongue against the blonde's and snickered as he felt Cloud's stomach arch towards him and clash their bodies together. The noises the blonde made were so innocent, so gentle, each and every groan that echoed throughout Sephiroth's room caused his crotch to throb impatiently.

Sephiroth pulled out from the blonde's mouth and glared down at him breathlessly, satisfied that the blonde no longer looked up at him with love; there was nothing there now but lust.

The General became frantic, lowering his lips to Cloud's open neck and panting heavily against him. "I want you to beg for this," he growled, allowing one hand to grip at the blonde's head and push the skin towards his teeth. The blonde practically screamed, throwing his head back against his shoulders as he felt Sephiroth bury his head against his neck and bite down, as if he were consuming a meal, leaving a mark deep enough to tear at the skin. Cloud did not comprehend how loud he was being, before watching the General's free hand push firmly against his mouth as to silence him. The blonde unintentionally tensed at that, and chewed Sephiroth's hand as the pleasure began to drive him mad.

It wasn't until the man snatched himself backwards that the blonde realised the extent of his actions. Cloud gasped to himself, as he acknowledged the sight of blood before him. Although the injury was insignificant, the guilty overwhelmed him regardless, as did the fear.

"I-I'm sorry," the blonde apologised, looking down at Sephiroth's hand, which now had teeth marks buried into it.

The General did not bother to look at the damage, and neglected the throbbing ache in his hand that the blonde had caused. Sephiroth's eyes were focused only on Cloud, who whimpered as he recognised the look of anger burning in the man's eyes. The General was overwhelmed with passion and animalistic behaviour; Sephiroth no longer appeared composed and in control of the situation. Cloud feared he had genuinely upset him, and became overwhelmed with sadness and regret. Although that sadness was soon diminished, as the blonde felt Sephiroth's hardness dig against him, and confirm a twisted thought indeed.

Was it possible that Sephiroth enjoyed sexual pain? Had the blonde excited him by hurting him?

The blonde went to question Sephiroth, but became unable to release even a sound of discomfort as his breath was stolen away and left him temporarily stunned. Cloud could merely watch in disbelief as Sephiroth threw two hands against his stomach and lurched him towards the wall, allowing the blonde's head to slam violently against it. The initial pain overwhelmed him, as the back of his skull collided with the wall and sent an indescribable pain rushing across his body. There was not a single recognisable thing before the blonde, other than the emotionless expression that Sephiroth threw. The General was unfazed by the way in which he had handled the blonde, finding Cloud's suffering all the more endearing.

The blonde attempted to reach his hand to the back of his head and soothe the aching, but was prevented from doing so by Sephiroth, who reached out towards his lips and began kissing him impatiently. All of the pain seemed to disappear, as Cloud allowed Sephiroth to explore his mouth and snake a hand down his stomach. The two of them quickly became breathless, and struggled to maintain composure as they panted against each other's lips. Sephiroth forced himself to calm down, as the blonde moaned against him, and released sounds of submission and pure innocence.

"The things you do to me, Cloud Strife…" he repeated in his head.

The blonde continued to return Sephiroth's kisses with equal fervour, and began analysing the way in which the man kissed him. Sephiroth's kisses were rough, but somehow gentle, and echoed the experience he had under his belt. It was as if the General was stealing Cloud's soul with each and every move of his lips, as the blonde became all the more under his spell.

Sephiroth inched away from the blonde's mouth, grinning as he watched Cloud frown at the sudden loss of contact. The blonde's eyes remained closed as he leaned forward and closed in on Sephiroth's lips, attempting to reclaim them and continue kissing him. However, the General firmly pushed the blonde's chin against his fingers, causing Cloud's eyes to spring open in confusion.

"We appear to have a problem," Sephiroth highlighted, leaning in to utter the sentence against the blonde's lips, teasing him, positioning himself close enough to brush their lips together, although not close enough to give the man what he desired.

Cloud moaned in impatience, and bit his lip in response, which served to rile the General up all the more. The blonde was unintentionally creating a dangerous, dangerous, atmosphere. Sephiroth clenched his fist as the image of Cloud teething his lips sent him animalistic, and almost caused him to deny all self control and throw the blonde against the bed.

"It would appear…" he whispered, kissing the blonde between each word he uttered. "That you are… still... entirely clothed…"

Sephiroth was barely able to finish the sentence, before he felt his hands clasp around the blonde's shirt and violently tear it off. The material was discarded and thrown across the bedroom, landing helplessly against the General's floor. Cloud was unable to feel embarrassed or self-conscious at his exposed stomach, before the General began immediately removing further clothing, working impatiently at his jeans as the blonde watched in bemusement. However, that bemusement quickly turned to fear, as Cloud recognised what the removal of his jeans was ultimately lead to…

Sephiroth slid himself down the blonde's stomach, as he pulled the jeans down in unison and revealed the prize that the blonde so desperately wanted to keep concealed. As the General's knees rested onto the carpet, he paused his lips before Cloud's stomach, before tracing kisses down towards his shaking thighs. The blonde bucked his hips in response, forcing the hardness between his legs against Sephiroth, who growled in response. Although Sephiroth had initially planned to tease him, and have the blonde beg for mercy, he could not ignore the sight before him, and instead opted to head straight for his target.

There was something similar to a strangled cry escaping from Cloud's lips as he watched Sephiroth roll out his tongue and slip it against his hardness. The man began from the base of his length, before agonisingly rolling up towards the tip, and licking the sensitive head. Sephiroth's motions were greedy, and the blonde watched in lust and amazement as the General wrapped his lips around the tip and sucked it delicately, holding tightly onto Cloud's legs as to prevent him from thrusting himself into his mouth.

"No self control…" Sephiroth whispered against him, the coldness of his breath causing the blonde to shriek out in both discomfort and pleasure.

Cloud did not anticipate he would respond, but found himself pleading to the man between his legs. "Please…" he gasped, wincing as the man continued to tease him.

The General ignored the blonde's pleas, and continued to move his lips against the tip, genuinely enjoying the feel of Cloud inside his mouth. Although he wasn't entirely inside yet, and Sephiroth ached to taste the man, feel the man and most importantly, consume him.

"Oh… s-shit…" Cloud gasped, throwing his head back against the wall as he felt his length throb against the newfound sensation, as Sephiroth slid his mouth around the prize and swallowed him whole. The pain in his skull returned, although the blonde was far too pre-occupied to notice, or care.

Sephiroth forced his head further against the blonde, and found himself taking the entire length in, pausing momentarily to allow the blonde to truly experience it. This was Cloud's first interrupted sexual experience, and he wanted him to reel in the moment. The General hummed to himself, and as predicted, the sensation of it caused the blonde to buck his hips and force himself even further inside Sephiroth's mouth. The man almost choked, proceeding to pull out from his current position, and begin slowly rocking his head back and forth, allowing his tongue to dance across the blonde's length as he did so.

Cloud was unable to comprehend how utterly amazing the feeling was; it brought him close to release, and he desperately tried to prevent himself from finishing in Sephiroth's mouth. The man was evidently preparing more than this for him, and the blonde feared he would displease him if we were to release so soon. Sephiroth sensed the blonde's discomfort, pulling out entirely and tilting his head as to face the blonde.

"Ugh…"

The blonde gazed down at Sephiroth, utterly lost in the moment, appreciating the sight of him positioned between his legs. Cloud analysed the way in which the General's lips glistened, and the current closeness between the man's mouth and his length. The blonde considered himself the luckiest man in existence, and yearned to take a photograph to keep with him forever.

_I've just received a blowjob from the General!_

What would Zack make of such behaviour?

The blonde wanted nothing more than to slide against the wall and allow himself to melt into the carpet. However, Sephiroth had other plans entirely, and as predicted, he desired personal sexual release, which the blonde had yet to give him. Cloud watched with glazed expression as the General pulled himself upwards and made his way towards the bed, ushering for the blonde to join him. Although he lacked the strength to do so, the blonde found himself complying with the order and positioned himself directly besides Sephiroth.

"On the bed," Sephiroth ordered, allowing himself to truly appreciate the blonde's bare figure.

Cloud clumsily crawled on top of the bed sheets, positioning himself on his back, and covering the exposed half of his body with his hands. The General snarled at that, straddling the blonde without warning and proceeding to pull his hands towards his sides. When Cloud moaned in response, the General leaned his face towards him and firmly addressed him.

"I will not allow you to hide yourself," he told him, snaking his attention across the blonde's body as he did so. "I want to be able to look at you; you are mine, do you understand?"

Cloud smiled sweetly up at him, although remained unconfident and embarrassed.

The General leaned himself upwards once more, pausing their activity momentarily to truly appreciate the blonde. Sephiroth adored the male body in every describable way, and enjoyed tracing each and every inch with his intrusive eyes. However, he rarely took the time to look this intensely and take a moment to ensure he had witnessed all that was presented to him.

… The blonde blew him away.

Sephiroth began analysing Cloud's porcelain skin, which resembled that of an angel; the uttermost definition of innocence. The blonde was skinny, almost feminine, and the definition it gave him drove the General to insanity. Cloud's expression remained vulnerable, his eyes positively glowing and filling Sephiroth with an unusual warmth. Although he loathed to admit it, the General could not deny that the man was beautiful. Not sexy, or merely attractive, no; he was beautiful. Sephiroth had never been sexually involved with anyone this…

… This?

The General felt the blood rise within him, as the feeling of deep anger and shame overwhelmed him. What the fuck was he doing? Complementing the kid, and taking the time to ponder over all of his features. Why did he believe him to be beautiful?

What was he doing?

Sephiroth quickly avoided any further deep thought, and wrapped two hands loosely around the blonde's neck. It was always like this; if the General displayed any humanity or care, he would immediately have the urge to hurt something, anything. The thought of considering Cloud to be 'beautiful' sickened him, and the thought left his brain as quickly as it had arrived.

However, Sephiroth did not proceed to tighten his grip, or hurt the blonde. It was merely a show of dominance, and an action to fulfill his twisted desires. Oh, how inviting Cloud looked struggling against his grip… the man belonged to him, always, only him.

"That's better," Sephiroth thought, feeling like his old self once more.

Cloud threw him an uneasy expression, unsure as to why the General was displaying such aggression all of a sudden. The blonde had recognised how abruptly the man could change; it disheartened him a little and confused him greatly. Was he somehow bipolar?

Although it didn't matter; all Cloud now wanted to experience the real thing. After Sephiroth's previous show of skill and his ability to make the blonde almost finish merely from his mouth, the blonde was intrigued to at last experience sex for himself, with the most appealing man of all.

Sephiroth removed a single hand from the blonde's neck, and proceeded to stroke it against his cheek with a mixture of softness and harshness. The blonde delicately lifted against him, and ignored the look of emptiness amidst Sephiroth's face… his eyes were soulless once more.

"Are you ready for this?" the General asked him, although the answer would be irrelevant.

Cloud nodded up at him, although feared he would never be prepared for such a thing.

It appeared the General doubted the blonde also. "I imagine you are not ready for me," he informed him, allowing his touch to harshen. "But I will have you, Cloud Strife, and you will learn to handle whatever comes your way, understood?"

The blonde felt crushed by Sephiroth's dark tone, but agreed regardless.

"I'm ready."

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**Ugh, this was so difficult to write, I fear it wasn't at all sexy and erotic.**

**Apologies to leave it on a cliff hanger AGAIN ;) I just didn't want to leave you waiting for months - the sex will continue in the next chapter, which I will endeavour to post in the next week!**

**Are you all still here? What did you think? Please review :)**


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